Written and directed by Jake Harvey, co-directed by Ollie Gardner, Frankie breaks his best friend Taylor out of a hospice for one final night out. When their riotous journey through Bradford spirals into chaos, both boys must face the one goodbye they’re not ready for. Starring: Samuel Bottomley, Callum Scott Howells, Frances Barber, Safia Oakley-Green, Seamus O’Hara, Sunetra Sarker.
There are a couple of things that British cinema truly needs more of: stories based in the North and everyday stories, and The State of Us emphatically ticks both of those boxes. It immediately exudes this deep sadness, so be prepared because that feeling is not going to let up, it’s only going to hit harder. Part of the way that it manages to deliver that striking blow is because Samuel Bottomley and Callum Scott Howells build such fantastic personalities, getting you caught up in their moving brotherhood, purely so it can hit you even harder.
Bottomley gives a raw, heart-breaking, fractured performance, and perfectly captures the idea of a person who has never really found stable ground, having not processed their grief, faced with the prospect of losing the one person who gives them stability. It’s utterly honest, and he has such a fantastic connection with Callum Scott Howells. That brotherly relationship is effortlessly convincing, and Howells does a wonderful job of portraying Taylor’s acceptance and anger. He creates this lovely personality: loyal, reliable, fun and caring. The two of them are exceptional and deliver the emotional journey of The State of Us beautifully.
Honest is really a key word with The State of Us, its authenticity is a vital part of what makes it such a brilliant film. The style that Ollie Gardner and Jake Harvey create manages to capture the characters’ youth but also bring a sincere depth. It’s impressive to watch and moves with a compelling confidence and contemplation. It has a bright energy which pairs surprisingly well with the heavy topic. Gardner and Harvey recognise the melancholy but don’t limit themselves to it, keeping a sense of humour and a spontaneous quality. Frances Barber is definitely a benefit to the comedic side of things, giving a brief but unsurprisingly terrific performance.
The State of Us is phenomenal, shattering and deeply moving. This is a striking, impressive and skilful debut feature from Jake Harvey and Ollie Gardner. It’s fantastic to see a story of grief explored with two very young, northern lads, to bring genuine emotionally vulnerability to a culture that can typically avoid emotion and outward affection. Samuel Bottomley and Callum Scott Howells give truly brilliant, heartrending performances that are so terrifically natural.
There are some films that when the credits finally roll, you let out a long breath, as if you’d been holding it in, releasing the emotional weight of the experience and taking a moment to appreciate what you just saw, and The State of Us is one of those films. This is the future of British filmmaking on a platter, it’s exactly what we need more of, a new generation to follow in the footsteps of filmmakers like Ken Loach, Mike Leigh, Terence Davies, Andrea Arnold and Shane Meadows.
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