Director: Imran Perretta.

Stars: Farhan Hasnat, Yahya Kitana, Joy Crookes, Avin Shah, Sudha Bhuchar

The directorial feature debut from artist turned filmmaker Imran Perretta, co-written with Irish playwright Enda Walsh, is an observant and poetic coming of age tale. Ish (Hasnat) and Maram (Kitana) are twelve-year-old friends in Luton. Ish, a third-generation Bangladeshi boy who lives with his dad, grandmother and sister (played engagingly by singer-songwriter Joy Crookes) is still grieving over his mother’s death. Maram, his cheeky charismatic Palestinian pal is struggling with the news coming out of Gaza. The two cheer each other up via affectionate bickering and playing computer games and football. As tensions ratchet up in the community, an incident with the police drives a wedge between the friends, and Ish looks to his family for comfort. Captured in beautiful crisp black and white by cinematographer Jermaine Edwards, this is an understated and empathetic study of kids learning the realities of life, the pain, the joy and the camaraderie. The performances from the two leads workshopped via improvisation are winningly and convincingly naturalistic. The picture is at its best when conveying the languor of childhood with its endless hours to fill, but with an undertow of tension as the locals are electronically profiled by passing cars, and horrifying news from Gaza can be heard on the radio.

David Willoughby

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