My Feral Heart

Date: 21/03/2017 Times: 7:30 pm - 8:55 pm

We are presenting a special screening of this film on World Down’s Syndrome Day and £1 from each ticket will be going as a donation to the Down Syndrome Research Foundation in support of the ‘Don’t Screen Us Out’ campaign.

The leading actor, Steven Brandon, seen above, won nominations for Best Actor and Most Promising Newcomer at the 2016 British Independent Film Awards. It has a 100% rating from critics on the website Rotten Tomatoes, which averages top critics’ ratings.

A sudden bereavement throws Luke, a fiercely independent young man with Down’s syndrome, into a daunting new environment where he finds unexpected support from his feisty, streetwise carer and a local heir dealing with his own demons. As friendships bloom and long-buried secrets are revealed, Luke verges dangerously close to disaster.

There’s a lot to like here, including the thoughtful portrait of disability, director Jane Gull’s knack with performers of all ability, the shimmering cinematography by Susanne Salavati and a deeply evocative score. It is a beautifully realised, understated character study and a great showcase for the magnetic Brandon, who hopefully will continue to pursue a career as an actor.

‘This is a film I thoroughly recommend. It is rare for a totally independent film made by a relatively unknown director with unknown actors to make such an impact on critics and film festivals. It is the debut feature film of director Jane Gull. Recently at the Lift-Off Global Network 2016 Season at Pinewood Studios it won Best Narrative Feature Film, Best Director and Best Actor in the form of Steven Brandon.

Steven, who lives in Clacton and has Down’s Syndrome, plays a young man who is made to go and live in a care home when his mum dies. Up to that time he had been independently caring for her and he finds the care home hard to deal with. He sneaks out whenever he can into the surrounding countryside and has an extraordinary encounter which he has to keep secret about. The film is very naturalistic which makes the contrast with his secret life so engaging and magical. The acting is superb, totally believable. The story make sense in the form of a fable about freedom and independence.’

(Special review by Ginny Waters)

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Venue: William Loveless Hall