Seamonsters (2011) User Reviews

wonderful truthful coming of age movie

[FlorenceGrace · 8/10 · 3 August 2015]

I saw this film because a friend had a copy as she worked on it making the costume as a summer job. It is nice to see great young actors in a film about falling in love for the first time. It was very beautiful film to look at and this was a a surprise because it was a film with very little money to spend. made me cry at the end. i hope it can be seen by more people. it is such a sweet and truthful movie. The place where it is taking place is very strange and I would like to go there. It is near Brighton. My friend tells me that the actor Reece Noi is now In Game Of Thrones which I also love. I hope more films like this get made. It is good to see a film about this age of people and remember what it was like to feel so alone sometimes but wanting your friends to like you and girls and boys to fall in love with you. My favorite actor in the film is the girl called Lori - she is very funny and authentic. you feel really sorry for her and her life with her mum.

Go see it! If you can!

Beautifully played

[mandj-59888 · 8/10 · 7 August 2015]

Despite not being one for the coming of age genre I found myself completely entranced by this film. I was taken in by the earthiness of it all and became quite attached to the characters and their personal stories even if there were not all 'traditionally' likable. Being set predominantly in an ordinary town with ordinary people highlighted the individual dreams and foibles of the youngsters in totally natural way. Using a coastal location gave the opportunity for some incredibly haunting cinematography which also provided for a sense of foreboding which is pertinent to a large semi-underclass in our time. As with any good multi-dimensional story there is tragedy, though not necessarily where expected, heart- warming elements and quirky characters – the great Rita Tushingham – which all contribute to a very emotionally demanding but realistically uplifting experience.

It's wonderful that low budget films like this are made

[michael-kerrigan-526-124974 · 7/10 · 14 March 2019]

The film industry, like most other ventures in our capitalist society, is driven by money. Isn't it just wonderful though that films like this can still be made on a shoestring budget. I often hear terms (from really good film critics) like "just imagine what s/he can do with a big budget"..... Give me little indies like this anytime. Ben Wheatley's best films were low budget. When he got some money the glitz did absolutely nothing to me. I've not really reviewed this film - I thought it was a slow burner but I grew to love it - but that's not the point. We must embrace low budget films such as this - it would be a catrastophe if they were to disappear.

Dreamily shot tale portraying the conflicting emotions of love and isolation faced by modern youth

[portjw · 20 January 2012]

If someone had told me i was going to the cinema to watch a movie portraying teen relationships, i would have asked for the sick bucket and skipped town. And i would have missed one of the best films – of any genre – that i've seen for ages.

Seamonsters has as much to offer cinematically as any sweeping epic. England's south coastline never looked so interesting, colourful or full of light since Constable. The script is taut and the dialogue so tense i had a lump in my throat the entire film. And i have not been this impressed by a group of young actors since Coppola's Outsiders.

This film is part thriller, part love story and in an odd way part documentary, for the realistic way it in which the character's lives are portrayed. Am so glad that i am all grown up now, would not want to live through that again.

Wonderfully engaging and beautifully performed teen drama

[hilary-collee · 9/10 · 8 January 2012]

This poignant film set in a drab, off-season, quintessentially English seaside town invites the viewer into a world inhabited by teenagers on the cusp of adulthood, with all the promise of adventure but with the pressure to grow up emotionally always present.

The action centres around to two mates - the well-adjusted, level-headed Sam (Jack McMullen) and his unpredictable chum Kieran (an extraordinarily compelling Reece Noi) who masks his shortcomings with acts of bravado and aggression.

When a girl drifts into their lives, sexual competition causes tension between the boys, culminating in an event which changes their lives.

With a beautifully-crafted script and hauntingly shot, this film is sensitive study of human relationships on many levels.

A surprisingly evocative and well-crafted coming-of-age story.

[bigshot-8 · 8/10 · 9 August 2015]

A surprisingly evocative and well-crafted coming-of-age story set in a dead-end British seaside resort, Seamonsters transcends both its budget and its setting to leave its audience with a genuine sense of hope.

Excellent performances, notably from Reece Noi and Georgia Henshaw, as well as some beautiful imagery, lifts it well above the level of a small British indie, and although at times the pace is a little ponderous (inevitably perhaps, because of the sense of boredom and emptiness it strives to evoke) the story is always plausible and authentic.

The end-result is not merely a beguiling study of what it is like to grow up in a cultural backwater, but also an examination of the power of awakening sexuality and its potentially unsettling, destructive effect on friendship.

very moving and beautiful to look at.

[silentlakestudios · 7/10 · 26 June 2019]

I really enjoyed this independent film. I watched it on Amazon Prime. its very well acted, and the writing is excellent too. The cast is young and I don't know any of them but that makes it more involving. I think teenagers will enjoy this a lot. Its very moody and its about love. Though don't be pout off because it is all very yummy in parts. I really recommend it.

Uninspiring

[cjwilkinson-81808 · 3/10 · 21 August 2020]

Going by some of the reviews here, I think I must have been watching a different film. Mind you, some of the reviews (one review only - of this movie) are clearly fake and shouldn't still be up.

The cast and crew do a decent job, but the bottom line is that if the characters in the movie are boring, you end up with a boring movie.

Tough, gritty, often very heartfelt low budget Brit movie.

[gorwell-56168 · 8/10 · 20 July 2019]

A friends said I should watch this. It's on Amazon prime in my country. It's about teens growing up in a town by the ocean. There are two best friends who basically have their friendship torn apart when they both meet a girl they fall for. It has wonderful actors and the writing is very poetic at times. I think it captures that period in your life when you are about to come of age really really well. There are drugs and fights and bad language but nothing offensive. Just the typical teen stuff. the director gets great performances form the young cast and it is beautifully shot too. Well worth a watch!

An Authentic and Engaging Film

[catherine_wilson-197-899493 · 10/10 · 6 August 2015]

I loved this film. On the surface a simple, sweet tale of young love, this well written and beautifully drawn teen drama has hidden depths.

From the outset, the sweeping shots of a moody and portentous seafront pull the viewer into a world of lost innocence, teenage love and what might have been.

Never afraid to dig deep, director Julian Kerridge displays a light and authentic touch as he examines serious issues and the havoc they can cause young lives.

An engaging young cast including the fabulously talented Georgia Henshaw as Moony are wholly credible, and it is always a joy to see the much underrated Rita Tushingham on the big screen.

A film about possibility, hope and the pain of reality. I would thoroughly recommend it.

Thoughtful teen coming of age movie

[gipsybabe · 8/10 · 18 August 2015]

Loved this movie. The relationship between Sam and Kieran was very well written and performed . Took me back to my youth. Jealousy, love, competition, lust, trust, anger, rage. All those emotions but being unsure how to express them. It had great performances from the leads but also the supporting cast. It's a shame that this film is not more widely available. Obviously shot on a budget but that did not detract from the powerful direction and cinematography. The seaside setting added to the feeling of expectation and hope. I will be recommending to my step kids and nieces who are closer to the target audience and will I'm sure enjoy as much as I did.

Brilliant teen movie. Truthful and great performances.

[martin-45589 · 9/10 · 5 January 2018]

Loved this. Saw it because I know one of the actors. I am not being pushed to write this. but just wanted to share my review in the hope that more people see it. I believe it is coming out on Amazon prime soon. Do check it out. It's funny and moving and honest.

A charming, British coming-of-age story.

[annacsouthgate · 9/10 · 12 August 2015]

A charming coming-of-age story with an engaging central relationship between two teenage boys struggling with growing up, falling in love and growing apart.

Jack McMullen pulls off an extremely emotive performance as the straight-laced and sensitive Sam, who is bullied by his selfish and unpredictable buddy, Kieren (played by a scene-stealing Reece Noi). Both lads convincingly portray the ennui of life as a teenager in a dead-end town... And the rivalry between them as they vie for the affections of an enigmatic young woman, seemingly hellbent on tragedy.

The enchanting cinematography conjures an authentic sense of the British seaside out-of- season, of a world tinged with both despair and hope. 'Seamonsters' is a bittersweet slice of adolescent life... That makes you nostalgic for those first pangs of young love, but so glad you only have to go through being a teenager once!

a wonderful depiction of teen love

[sadofski · 9/10 · 5 April 2012]

Seamonsters is a masterful achievement as a character study. At turns playful, melancholy, and captivating, the film effectively pulls the audience in and instantly makes it feel as though it has known this place and these people for many years. Those in the market for a solid drama that will make them both think and feel will not be disappointed by this UK indie film.

-widescreen warrior.com

"Seamonsters is incredibly evocative. Julian Kerridge succeeds in capturing that uniquely English sort of dead-end seaside ennui. The cinematography by Nick Gordon-Smith is frequently spectacular."

SMELLS LIKE SCREENSPIRIT.COM

Loved it!!!

[laurissa-abdull · 10/10 · 22 May 2012]

I loved this film! It is guaranteed to entertain you and keep you on the edge of your seat throughout! Such a wonderful story line. You definitively wont be disappointed and i certainly will not hesitate to buy the Seamonster's DVD when it comes out! Don't miss out on a wonderful film with many loved waterloo road characters;past and present. I am really hoping that there is going to be a sequel as i thoroughly enjoyed it all. The actors portrayed the story line and emotions extremely well,i cannot pick out any faults! Would just like to all thank the producers and actors for all their hard work which resulted in an amazing film been produced! Well done :) x

A fantastic film, exploring teenage issues with great depth and beauty.

[hannah_barttelot · 9/10 · 4 August 2015]

I really enjoyed watching this film, with the beautiful and sometimes eerie background of the UK south coast complementing the complex and diverse story.

A gritty film showcasing some fantastic British acting talent, whose skills and emotional depth brought so much life to the characters.

I loved the twist and turns of the story, and it felt like a modern coming of age of movie. In a similar vein to old films such as Stand By Me, Dazed and Confused and Pretty in Pink, that I loved watching growing up. However this film is very much made relevant for being a teenager in these times. I hope other people get to enjoy this film.