THE LOW DOWN

I liked the fact that these characters were so real. It was like hanging out with a bunch of people that you just met by chance.

The Low Down is one of those British productions that is very consciously modern, edgy and arty. It's the type of film that the hipster Brit press like Time Out London and NME fall all over themselves to proclaim "smashing" and "brill" (kind of like them saying the latest washout Oasis album is as good as their first... yeah, right). In other words, the type of film that most Americans would claw their eyes out before reaching the end of the film. But... I kinda liked The Low Down. No, I'm not going to dare recommend it, for fear of being flogged by highbrow movie-goers, but it did have its charm.

Frank (Aiden Gillen, best known as the lothario Stuart from BBC's "brill" Queer As Folk) is a slacker in London. He's vaguely in his late-20s, early 30s, lives in a studenty-flat with one of his mates, and works as set designer for TV game shows and kiddie shows. He still sleeps on a mattress on the floor (funny, I always thought that was known as an "American futon") and finds frightening things in the fridge. He feels it is time to move on and buy his own flat.

Lucky for him, the real estate agent is a cutie named Ruby (Kate Ashfield). They begin a little flirtation, and end up in bed... though their intentions are kind of vague. Is this a fling or the beginning of a relationship? In the meantime, Frank hangs out with his circle of friends, including two blokes that he works with... one being his best friend John, who isn't pulling his weight at the props shop any more, and risks getting fired.

Now, mind you, the last two paragraphs sound like a plot, don't they? Well, "plot" is kind of a strong word. This film got much of the audience to sigh heavily many times (not from pleasure, but impatience), as the film lumbered along in a handheld-camera, slacker-home-movie kinda way. Several people walked out on the film... I guess figuring their own lives were just as interesting (if not more) than the lives of these wayward folks on screen. And they'd be right.

But I liked the fact that these characters were so real. It was like hanging out with a bunch of people that you just met by chance. You get invited to a party or two. You stop by to see them at their jobs. You go for a joyride in the country for an afternoon just for the hell of it. And you never see them again. And for me, that was fine.