Junkhearts (DVD)

With a title like Junkhearts, one can't help but assume this film will go down the path of telling the story of drug junkies and their fall from grace. However, and thankfully, Junkhearts doesn't do this at all.

In the opening scene we meet the main protagonist, Frank, in a gripping close-up scene that makes his life of haunting nightmares and alcoholism completely palatable. The film goes on to tell his story and slowly weave the other characters into his tale.

Frank meets Lynette, a rough talking, 17-year-old street urchin, who seems to have fallen on tough times. She manages to befriend Frank, and although he seems reluctant at first to help, he soon allows her to stay with him and tries his best to get her back on her feet. While this is going on we meet a third main character, Christine – a beautiful and busy business woman and single mom. We also see into her life behind the scenes, where she dabbles in hard drugs and casual sex.

After the haunted histories of our main characters are set, the film takes a very charming turn where Frank begins to warm to Lynette and really starts to care about her wellbeing. Here, Eddie Marsan (Frank) does an incredible job and in his understated performance, shows fear, terror, love and care with the smallest of nuances. Brilliant. Candese Reid (Lynette) does an equally good job, but her time to shine is when things in the film begin to go wrong. We learn that she's been sent by her drug dealer boyfriend to take advantage of a helpless man like Frank. Her feelings of guilt and shame at taking advantage of Frank are fantastically portrayed.

The film has great cinematography and often uses a series of excellent shots in stark focus to capture a character's situation. By doing this instead of relying on dialogue, the film has a great subtlety to it, and you don't realise until right at the end that you are completely engrossed in the characters' lives.

Ultimately the film's title is apt as it explores issues around the 'junk' in our hearts. This isn't always drugs and alcohol, but perhaps it can be the harm we are capable of doing to others and then, whether it is possible to find redemption. The film is executed very well, and although it is a harrowing tale, it is done in such a way to still find it a very enjoyable watch.

Overall verdict: Although Junk Hearts is a harrowing drama, it is absolutely enthralling and will grip your heart in an unexpected but totally enjoyable way. With fantastic performances from the cast and great cinematography, this is a great film to add to the movies-to-view list.

Reviewer: Kevin van der Ham