A working class girls sings Brittany with her friends and talks excitedly about her life as she walks along the canal. However her story hints at hurts that go deeper than her talk suggest.
This short won the 2001 Bafta for best short film and was director Percival's first film after many years in commercials. The film starts with a well framed shot of the girl singing and dancing to a Brittany Spears song before going straight into a montage of her talking, hanging out with her Dad, on a bus with her friends etc. As it goes this is entertaining enough and quite interesting. The only weakness of it is that it feels like mix of two Fast Show characters the `Brilliant' guy and the teenage girl.
However this is a minor complaint as the ending reveals the meaning behind much of her talk and the scenes we see. This really needs to be seen twice or followed by some thought to appreciate the significance of what has gone before the ending.
Thewlis is excellent. Managing to hold the screen well and be totally believable in the role. To one who is annoyed by loud teenagers singing pop songs on buses she did well to win me over.
Overall this is not an easy film to think about and does have a scene that many people will find upsetting (if only temporarily). While it feels aimless for most of your first viewing, a good performance by Thewlis is more than enough to hold the attention.
This short won the 2001 Bafta for best short film and was director Percival's first film after many years in commercials. The film starts with a well framed shot of the girl singing and dancing to a Brittany Spears song before going straight into a montage of her talking, hanging out with her Dad, on a bus with her friends etc. As it goes this is entertaining enough and quite interesting. The only weakness of it is that it feels like mix of two Fast Show characters the `Brilliant' guy and the teenage girl.
However this is a minor complaint as the ending reveals the meaning behind much of her talk and the scenes we see. This really needs to be seen twice or followed by some thought to appreciate the significance of what has gone before the ending.
Thewlis is excellent. Managing to hold the screen well and be totally believable in the role. To one who is annoyed by loud teenagers singing pop songs on buses she did well to win me over.
Overall this is not an easy film to think about and does have a scene that many people will find upsetting (if only temporarily). While it feels aimless for most of your first viewing, a good performance by Thewlis is more than enough to hold the attention.