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Away

4/10

Stars: Juno Temple, Timothy Spall, Matt Ryan, Hailey Squires, Susan Lynch

Director: David Blair

The treatment of the timelines in this long-shelved 'odd couple' drama/thriller is so bewildering that at times it's easy to think the projectionist has got the reels in the wrong order. It's almost impossible to tell what's happening when, and that's a shame, as the performances, by Spall and particularly Temple, are worthy of a better film.

She's Ria, a tart-ish post-teen on the run from her abusive boyfriend (Ryan), who beats Ria's whereabouts out of her ex-junkie sister (Squires). By this time, Ria has encountered Joseph (a typically hangdog role for Spall), who is attempting unsuccessfully to commit suicide (successively with pills, a gun or covering himself with petrol) after the death of his wife.

Cornered by her boyfriend, at the point of a gun, Ria thinks Joseph is trying to help her when he invites the man to shoot him instead.

Somehow, both Ria and Joseph end up in Blackpool. You like me?' he snarls, as she tags along. 'What the hell is wrong with you?' And we cannot help but agree.

There's the kernel of a good idea here, but the treatment wrecks it and will have your head spinning faster than the loop-the-loop at the Blackpool funfair.

David Quinlan

UK 2015. UK Distributor: Gateway Films. Colour (unspecified).
109 minutes. Not widescreen. UK certificate: 15.

Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 1, Violence/Horror 1, Drugs 1, Swearing 2.

Review date: 09 May 2017