Urban Hymn (2015)
Set against the backdrop of the 2011 UK summer riots, Jamie, a young female offender who possesses a remarkable voice, meets a determined social worker who inspires her to use it.
- Elizabeth West
- Michael Caton-Jones
- Gareth Tandy
- Josey McNamara
- James Chambers
- Nick Moorcroft
Rating: 7/10 by 22 users
Alternative Title:
Country:
United Kingdom
Language:
English
Runtime: 01 hour 54 minutes
Budget: $3,000,000
Revenue: $0
Plot Keyword: robbery, social worker, difficult childhood, street riots, coming of age, prison sentence, death of son, singing in choir, jealous friend
Excellent! 'Urban Hymn' is much more heartfelt and meaningful than I thought it would be. It avoids doing the usual, over-the-top thing of making every kid in the film a wannabe gangster and making them all silly criminals. Don't get me wrong, it does have shades of that but I feel it portrays it in a much more subtle manner than most films of this type do. The cast are brilliant. Letitia Wright gives a superb performance as Jamie, I believed in her character from the get-go; which is thanks to the writing et al. but also to Wright. Isabella Laughland as Leanne is very good, as is Shirley Henderson as Kate. The support cast are also well chosen. One thing I will note is that the film does peak a little too early. The first half of it is fantastic, as is the rest all in all but it does drop off slightly once everything's been understood. It is also somewhat predictable, though that's not a negative thing if the production makes it work - which this does. Well worth your viewing time. A weighty story with a convincing cast.
