Somers Town Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.5

Somers Town Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 10, 2009

British helmer Shane Meadows and teenage star Thomas Turgoose reunite in yet another slice-of-life film about friendship, love, and big dreams – “Somers Town” (2008). Shot almost entirely in black and white, the film impresses with a poetic beauty and a terrific soundtrack by singer Gavin Clarke. Courtesy of UK-based Optimum Releasing.

A cocky lad from Nottingham, Tomo (Thomas Turgoose, This Is England), arrives in London seeking a new home. He is immediately mugged and given a black eye. Without money and a place to stay Tomo enters a run-down café where Marek (Piotr Jagiello), a bored Polish teenager, is fantasizing about the beautiful French girl (Elisa Lasowski, Eastern Promises) working there as a waitress. The two strike a conversation and Tomo ends up in Marek’s apartment.

Tomo and Marek become friends. They decide to make a bit of extra cash and steal a bag of clothes from a local launderette. The bag’s content is sold to a shady character (Perry Benson) with a shady business of his own. With the money from the trade Tomo and Marek buy cheese, grapes, and wine and head to the café looking for the French girl. They are told that she has gone back to Paris.

What are you going to do?

British director Shane Meadows offers yet another slice-of-life film about a charming duo of misfits running wild in North London's Somers Town. Shot almost entirely in black and white the film is notably relaxed, filled with humor, and somewhat uncannily devoid of violence - a key ingredient in the director’s body of work.

Scripted by Paul Fraser (Once Upon A Time In The Midlands), Somers Town is also the first film by Meadows where he has not contributed to the story. Still, the narrative feels just as low-key, realistic, and fresh as witnessed in the director’s previous films.

Turgoose and Jagiello’s performances are notably convincing, granting Somers Town with a unique flavor knowledgeable cinema aficionados will surely relate to the rich yet naturalistic overtones found in the works of the French New Wave directors. Indeed, in Somers Town style and substance are in abundance and it does not take too long to see why.

The most impressive asset in Somers Town, however, remains the camerawork. Just as in This is England, Meadows’ camera follows the deeds of the main protagonists in such a convincing fashion that even though we don’t know everything there is to know about them, we feel like we’ve been with them forever. Which is quite surprising actually as Somers Town clocks in at just over 70 minutes.

Cinematographer Natasha Braier (XXY) deserves a special mention for her fantastic contribution to this film. Her careful emphasis on an abundance of tiny details (Marek’s filled with pain eyes after he is told that the French girl is gone, Tomo’s confession on the train, or Graham’s absolutely hilarious explanation on why Marek should wear an Arsenal jersey as opposed to a Manchester United one).

Finally, the only aspect of Somers Town that one could be slightly unhappy with is the finale’s composition. Unlike the rest of the film, it is shot in color, and it does appear to be slightly out of sync with the rest or of the narrative (Somers Town was partially funded by Eurostar, the train company connecting the United Kingdom with the continent, and some of the plugs Meadows leaves behind hit a sour note).

Somers Town Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC, and granted a 1080/50i transfer Shane Meadows' Somers Town arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Optimum Releasing.

Shot in black and white Somers Town boasts a look that won't surprise those of you who have already seen Shane Meadows' award-winning This is England. Actually, aside from the fact that Somers Town is shot in black and white the two films look practically identical - contrast here varies (lighting in particular affects the video composition during some of the indoor scenes), and the held-held camera allows for a distinctive raw look which, in my opinion, compliments the narrative incredibly well. Furthermore, the actual print appears to be very healthy – I did not detect any disturbing scratches, dirt, or debris (I did, however, notice a few specks during the opening scenes). This being said, I wish I had seen Somers Town theatrically so I could comment in greater detail on the Blu-ray presentation. I have a feeling that the low-budget look Shane Meadows has opted for arrives with all sorts of intentional limitations (resolution, contrast unevenness, pulsating blacks and whites, even some borderline "motion-judder" effects, etc), just as This is England did, but unfortunately I could only speculate as to what is, or isn't, intended. Regardless, Optimum's Blu-ray presentation is very pleasing, and as far as I am concerned, treating the film adequately. (Note: Please keep in mind that this is a Region-B "locked" release which you will not able to play on your Region-A PS3 or SA).

Somers Town Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Optimum Releasing have provided an English DTS-HD MA 5.1 track (with portions of Polish) for the Blu-ray release of Somers Town. This is a very strong mix with plenty of excellent qualities that not only allow one to follow the film without missing on the dialog (yes, the accents are very strong), but also to appreciate the beautiful soundtrack courtesy of Gavin Clarke. This being said, I did not detect any disturbing hissings, pops, or cracks. Second, even though there isn't much movement in the rear channels the music is spread out quite nicely. Finally, balance is exceptionally pleasing and there wasn't anything of concern that I could detect. As expected, there aren't any impressive sound effects to be heard here, but the DTS-HD MA 5.1 most definitely allows one to be immersed into this poetic and notably beautiful film in a manner that I am convinced will not be replicated by the corresponding SDVD release the UK distributors have announced.

Somers Town Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There are a number of interesting extras on this Blu-ray disc. First of all, there is a short interview with actor Perry Benson (Graham) where he discusses his contribution to Somers Town as well as what it meant to him to work with Shane Meadows yet again (the two worked together on This Is England. Next is a short interview with the two stars of the film – Thomas Turgoose (Tomo) and Piotr Jagliello (Marek) – where they discuss their involvement with the project as well as the characters they play. Yet, another interview, this time around with Shane Meadows, offers a bit of information on the history of the project (this is the first film for the UK director where he did not contribute to the script). Finally, there is some interesting footage titled simply "Shane Meadows' Master Class at the Tribeca Film Festival" where the director is seen and heard recalling his turbulent past. He also goes on to explain how Somers Town came to exist (assisted by writer Paul Fraser). In addition, there are also trailers and TV spots for the main feature.

Somers Town Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A beautifully-lensed film with plenty of heart Somers Town is a pleasure to behold. I feel incredibly disappointed that I did not get to see it theatrically - I bet it would have been a terrific experience. The Blu-ray disc, courtesy of UK-based distributors Optimum Releasing, is of very good quality, but if you are planning on watching it in Region-A land please keep in mind that the main menu is in PAL, and unless your TV set supports PAL you won't be able to access its content. Highly Recommended.