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The Low Down (2001)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted: 51
Fresh: 30
Rotten:21
Average Rating: 5.6/10
Consensus: Jamie Thraves' debut film about British twenty-somethings effectively captures the nuances of its characters.
Rated: Not Rated
Genre: Comedies
Theatrical Release:Apr 20, 2001 Limited
Synopsis: Writer-director Jamie Thraves's feature-film debut follows the day-to-day life of Frank (Aidan Gillen), a single London artist in his late twenties who works as a prop maker along with his quirky... Writer-director Jamie Thraves's feature-film debut follows the day-to-day life of Frank (Aidan Gillen), a single London artist in his late twenties who works as a prop maker along with his quirky friends, Mike (Dean Lennox Kelly) and John (Tobias Menzies). Aware that he needs to jump-start his easygoing life, Frank considers moving out of the flat he shares with his depressed roommate, Terry (Rupert Proctor). While looking for a new place, he meets Ruby (Kate Ashfield), a spritely young real estate agent. As Frank's relationship with Ruby develops, his life, work, and friendships all begin to change. Focusing more on atmosphere than plot, Thraves's excellent first feature is almost documentarylike in its realism but still allows for strikingly artistic flourishes, evoking the work of filmmakers such as John Cassavetes, François Truffaut, and Jean-Luc Godard. Intentionally ambiguous at times, the film remarkably captures the confusion of postgraduate life. Perfectly cast and well acted, THE LOW DOWN is carried by Gillen's quietly engaging performance. Songs by PJ Harvey and the Human League accompany the subtle cinematic score by Nick Currie (aka Momus) and Fred Thomas. [More]
Starring: Aidan Gillen, Kate Ashfield, Dean Lennox Kelly, Tobias Menzies
Starring: Aidan Gillen, Kate Ashfield, Dean Lennox Kelly, Tobias Menzies, Rupert Proctor, Samantha Power, Dena Smiles
Director: Jamie Thraves
Director: Jamie Thraves
Screenwriter: Jamie Thraves
Producer: John Stewart, Sally Llewellyn
Composer: Nick Currie, Fred Thomas
Studio: The Shooting Gallery
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Reviews for The Low Down
"The Low Down" is a hapless film that tries to be more artistic than it really is.
Has an aura of honest observation that engages even when almost nothing is happening on-screen.
Thraves lets his story drag as if aimless drama will somehow reflect the aimlessness of his characters' lives. It doesn't; it simply bores.
Tries so hard to capture the reality of lifes struggles, yet fails to deliver.
It feels completely organic and our interest never flags, despite the fact that nothing really significant happens.
It does have something to say to those patient enough to stick with it.
Until literally 30 seconds before the credits roll, the film's cast of arguably interesting people don't do a thing worth paying eight bucks to watch.
As Frank walks his own ambivalent path toward emotional adulthood, Thraves brings the ring of truth to his journey.
If you hid a video camera in a room, recording every word and action of the people there, watching that video would be something like watching The Low Down.
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