World Premiere / Feature – UK

Showing @ Filmhouse 1 Thu 23 @ 20:00 & Sat 25 @ 22:30

Karl Golden / UK / 2011 / 90 min / English

Drugs and raves are synonymous with the 1990s, symbols of popular youth culture challenging the established hierarchy by throwing illegal parties in the face of police crackdowns. But when things happen outside the law, the police are often the lesser of two evils – something that friends Matt (Henry Lloyd-Hughes) and Dylan (Jack O’Connell) quickly find out. Starting with a simple plan to have a great party, they soon start climbing the ladder of rave-organising success and unwittingly become embroiled in a scary world of gang control that leaves them well and truly out of their depth.

If there’s one thing this film does really well, it’s capturing the nineties. The clothes are brilliantly nostalgic, from turned-up collars and Umbro and Ellesse logos, to dodgy bowl haircuts and men with tiny hoop earrings. The rave scenes are just as evocative, captured with such a visual and audio energetic buzz that you are momentarily transported onto the dance floor. Quite overtly influenced by Trainspotting in terms of direction and to an extent in story too, it’s interesting to instead see the drugs scene from the people near the top of the chain, making huge amounts of money from both dealing and the illegal warehouse parties. The naivety and friendship of central characters Dylan and Matt isn’t as touching as it could be, but their unwilling involvement in thugs and violence creates genuine concern, even if there is an overly archetypal distinction between the good and bad guys. The ending is far too neat and convenient and the way everything is tied with a big ribbon is a twee and slightly far-fetched result to an otherwise gritty and fairly realistic film.