Still (2015)

Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Whenever I was away... Jobs, meetings, whatever... Whenever there was a pause, a silence, my thoughts would just drift towards him. He was always the first thing that came into my head. Sometimes the only thing."Still" is gray, gloomy, depressing and poignant at the same time. It shows how someone, torn by grief after the loss of his son, leads a self-destructive life and immerses himself into a downward spiral. A hopeless life with alcohol and drugs as support. The film begins with the sound of the fatal accident and snapshots of the victim. Initially, it's a character study of Tom Carver (Aidan Gillen), a freelance photographer. But gradually it evolves into a dark thriller when a seemingly harmless incident arises between Tom and a local rascal. What follows is a threatening situation full of intimidation, confrontation and criminal offenses. A situation that gradually escalates until Tom decides to take the law into his own hands. A film where the viewer wonders : "What would I do in the same situation?".The first thing I wondered was: "How for God's sake is it possible that an individual such as Tom could get such a gorgeous girlfriend as Christina (Elodie Yung)?". And his ex-wife Rachel (Amanda Mealing) isn't exactly ugly either and has kept in touch with him. And at certain times you get the feeling that she wants him back. However, Tom looks like a drunken bum who lives in a squat-like house, somewhere in London. His destructive way of living, filled with alcohol and drugs, plus his with grief tormented spirit, aren't exactly qualities you search for when you want to start a serious relationship.The film starts of as a character study about the person Tom. Someone who languishes at home, who visits he grave of his son regularly together with his ex and who tries to do his job. But gradually it transforms into a full-blown thriller that leads into an outright revenge film. The thriller part is the least successful part. First of all the street kids weren't really threatening at all. Initially it all started innocent with some meaningless pranks and intimidating confrontations. Tom isn't exactly a McClane-like guy, but rather a typical family man who tries to avoid aggressiveness. The reason why the gangs revenge reached such a groundbreaking peak with Christina as victim, looked pretty far-fetched. Was this an attempt to support the revenge motive? And this revenge part is another story. A horrifying moment in which you sympathize with Tom and in a way you'll understand his decision. But at the same time deep inside yourself, you'll feel something isn't right in his reasoning and his upcoming action is unacceptable.All in all this was once again a decent British project with brilliant performances. Especially Gillen plays a magnificent part. A rendition that evokes both pity and disapproval. Meanwhile the other performances were excellent as well. A film that fits perfectly in a big city like London. Would this be a Hollywood production, it would be bigger, full of trifling action and exaggerated drama. However, it's the minimalist and restrained character that makes this movie so great. And in the end the same question came up: "What the hell would I do if I were in his shoes?"More reviews here : http://bit.ly/1KIdQMT

A gripping thriller that describes the slow loss of control of a man over his life during a short space of time, as he grieves for his dead son and a chance encounter with a local gang member.I went into the cinema to watch this with little knowledge or fore-warning of how demanding this would; the emotion, the drama, the violence.Thoroughly watchable and fascinating, this film takes you on a roller-coaster of London and the characters that inhabit the urban landscape.A wonderful piece of debut film from Blunt Pictures and Producer Colette Delaney Smith, this has won many awards - and rightly so! I look forward with much anticipation to their follow up work.

A potent and poignant first feature by director Simon Blake and a memorable performance from Tom Carver (played by Aiden Gillen). Gripping from the start 'Still' shows us the fortunes and most unhappy malice that plagues this mans life. There's a real connection to the script and no character is left behind. Strong performances from the leading cast who lay bare moments of tension and emotion. Searching the dark streets of London, there is some brilliant cinematography and acting. Reminiscent Of Taxi Driver's Travis Bickle both Tom Carver and Ed's (Jonathan Slinger) catchy performances draw you into the reality of the victim turned vigilante. 'Still' portrays the suffering of the protagonist, in a very real world view, his life on culluloid shares his powerlessness and frustration that keeps you in the film till the end.

The story and execution of this film has an undeniable sense of reality. Based in London, a city which was recently plagued by young offenders, looting in their masses and destroying the lives of many, striking fear into all its residents - this film couldn't have been better timed. It is shockingly accurate; from the characters and the cast, right down to the script, illustrating a very dark and unfortunate scenario we all hope to steer clear of. The level of empathy you adopt is in the goose-bump and tears range as you are faced with the reality of the protagonist's, (Tom Carver, played by the very talented Aidan Gillen), extremely unpleasant chapter in his life, and those in the direct line of fire. Brilliant performance from the leading cast: Aidan Gillen, Amanda Mealing, Jonathan Slinger, Elodie Yung and Sonny Green, each totally encompassing their roles as real individuals with real problems and presented in stunning cinematography which gets increasingly personal as the film moves towards its unforgettable climax, evoking a very close relationship with all of the characters. Simon Blake had a very clear vision, equipped with a well developed script, which he's finessed into a highly celebrated first feature in the British Independent Thriller category.Prepare for a harrowing journey as you step into the life of Tom Carver.