MIFF NOTES: Starred Up (2013, Dir. David Mackenzie)

Gotta love a balls-to-the-wall prison drama. Starred Up is one of those. Violent. Unrelenting. Dehumanising. That is until it turns its corner.

Scottish director David Mackenzie gives most of his film over to his young star, Jack O'Connell, as inmate Eric Love and the result is electric. O'Connell, who has been on the much watch list since his madcap turn in TV's 'Skins', delivers an exceptionally strung out performance without ever slouching on the emotional front. Eric is tightly wound and unthinkingly fearless. He's raring to go anyone who threatens his sense of personal liberty, be they guard or inmate, and thanks to his street-primed nous he's almost able to best the lot of them.

What keeps Eric alive at first is the protection of the prison wing's resident attack dog, Neville (Ben Mendelsohn), who also happens to be his father. When that relationship goes pear shaped, the prison's  quietly-spoken-but-tough-as-nails counsellor steps in to try to bring some semblance of order back into Eric's life.

Mackenzie's film works as well as it does because of this masculinity-rending triangle. All three men share a bond born of violence and self-recognition. All three men are struggling with their own throttling understanding of manhood and all three are in some way or other attempting to transgress those boundaries. Each character is riveting in his own right and the interplay of father, son and mentor makes for some electric exchanges.

Off the back of Jonathan Asser's respectable scripting, Starred Up hits all the right prison drama notes and even stretches for a few new ones, though it does get a little throaty in the attempt. I wonder at the decision to cast Mendelsohn in the role. Though his performance is fantastic as always, the accent's distracting. That said, where he takes his character is commendable. His take on fatherhood and relationships makes for interesting viewing, even if the approach gets a little sloppy at the film hits climax.

A solid addition to the genre that proves the setting can still be mined for thematic riches.

Oh, and we'll keep watching O'Connell, thank you very much.

★★★★

Trailer:

Disclaimer: Due to excessive work and excessive film going, MIFF posts are going to be pretty sketchy this year. I'll come back to some of the better ones and write them up proper-like if the mood takes.