Adventures on the Internet

A heartwarming tale of family life in North London.

It's a situation familiar to us all, I imagine. You (Ralph) are a hard-pressed writer, struggling to come up with a film script, and the deadline is looming. Your partner (Phoebe) is a successful soap actress, always out at rehearsals, filming, or publicity events. Christmas is just around the corner, and you need a hand looking after the children.
So naturally, without seeking references, you hire an exotic French/West African au pair via the Internet, and don't bother mentioning the fact to Phoebe, who, emerging half-dressed from the bedroom one morning, is not a little put out to discover the new helper (Nene) serving the children's breakfast.

However, in a twist that perhaps doesn't mirror everyday life, Ralph's writing is based around his own domestic circumstances and he plans to enmesh Nene not only in household duties, but also into his personal life and the film script. When Nene realises she decides to take a pro-active role in the unfolding drama, and soon has Ralph and Phoebe wrapped around her little finger, and indeed other, more interesting parts of her body.

It's a neat idea, but the execution is flawed - particularly in the matter of constructing any believable characters. And Ralph's voice-over/narration of his thoughts on desire, lust, creativity, etc, serve only to detract - the viewer might be better left to make up his/her own mind as to the characters' motivations.

Although billed as a steamy psychodrama, don't go getting too excited - it's a struggle to get under the characters' skins, or inside their clothes.

A heartwarming tale of contemporary family life in a modern housing estate on the Essex/London border.

Mia lives with her sister Tyler and their mother in a compact apartment with off-street parking, in which they pursue their mutual interests - watching TV, listening to music, smoking and drinking. They show their affection for each other in the traditional manner, through a constant stream of verbal abuse, swearing and fighting.

Mia's social worker drops in occasionally to arrange a place at a special school and a youth referral unit, but the youngster is reluctant to engage with this process, and remains resolutely outside of the care system. Mia instead directs her efforts towards dancing, and attempting to steal a horse from the local travellers, camped on a nearby brownfield site.

Her mother's latest live-in lover Connor provides some encouragement for Mia in her aspirations to become a dancer, as well as petty cash to support her under-age drinking. However, Connor realises his enthusiasm has gone too far when he engages in consensual sex with the 15 year old on the sofa late one night, and he returns to his own wife and daughter early the next morning. This development leaves both Mia and her mother distraught, but salvation for Mia comes in the form of Kyle, one of the travellers she has been tormenting, whose newly restored Volvo 940 GLE 2.3 LPT estate is ready to carry her away to new adventures far from the Thames Gateway.

Shot on location amongst the housing estates and marshlands of south Essex, the film is a reminder of the drama and beauty that exists right on our doorsteps.

Essential Viewing.