AKA is writer/director Duncan Roy's thought-provoking memoir of his own youth. He escaped from a brutal, sexually abusive working-class household by assuming the identity of a young aristocrat and became famous - or notorious - in the process. Matthew Leitch is perfect as Dean, the handsome, sweet, innocently seductive
young man who desperately wants a better or, to be more precise, another life. His intelligence, looks, charm, and manner make people want to believe he is who he says. All the actors are notable and entertaining. Aside from the fascinating story, imaginative photography done solely with available light, and perfect musical support, AKA is a scathing portrayal of the English class system, where aristocrats rely on certain cues (accent, name, manners, schooling, demeanor) to identify one another and preserve their exclusivity. Dean lives as 'one of them' successfully and happily for over a year. After which he says, quite truthfully if Mr. Roy's portrait of Alexander Gryffoyn is in any way accurate, that he was a better Lord Gryffoyn than the real one could ever be. Mr. Roy depicts a working class equally complicit in maintaining 'place' and limited social mobility.
March 6, 2008
Top Critic
