London Road
Director: Rufus Norris
By Alex Watson
While it scores full points for originality, Rufus Norris' musical London Road is one that will certainly divide TIFF viewers into two camps. Set against the five murders that occurred in Ipswich, Suffolk in 2006 this piece originally was a hit on London's West End. Making into a feature film is an idea that both works and in places slightly misfires. Overall though it is hard not to respect the bravery and drive in Norris for taking the idea forward and creating one of the most offbeat movies of 2015.
In 2006 Ipswich, the residents of London Road live in fear of an apparent serial killers who is murdering female prostitutes. After the arrest of neighbour Steve Wright in connection with the crimes, the street is then put under scrutiny by both media and the public. As the various people including Julie (Olivia Coleman) deal with the aftermath, the healing process will be a difficult one.
Admittedly taking such a dark subject and turning it into a musical is one idea that strangely intrigues. Using the same dialogue taken from the actual residents in the various songs is something that does become repetitive and slightly annoying after a time. London Road is a mixture of impressive and bizarre numbers, one of the high points being a brief but awe-inspiring cameo from Tom Hardy as a cabbie obsessed with serial killers. Norris does inject a great range of feelings and does find humor in the most unlikely of places. Try sitting through a news reporter finding new ways to say 'Semen' on air without laughing.
One point this movie does firmly capture is the immense fear of the community during the height of the murders. People are constantly looking over their shoulder and wondering if the man standing next to them could be the man committing the monstrosities. When the killer is finally brought forward, the intense media exposure and the fracture of community life is one that is excellently portrayed. The members of this street complain bitterly about the problem with prostitutes, but the range in remorse is one that heightens the characters. Some act with pure disgust while others subtly hint at a hidden joy of being ridden of the problem.
While it may both charm and frustrate viewers in equal doses, an excellent cast led by Olivia Coleman as the worried Julie do a good job of holdings together. From this Norris' film is able to cross the boundary from quirky to a thought-provokingand interesting watch. London Road may not see much action in North America, but it has so far found buzz at TIFF. The sense of community recovery is one element the film scores highly on. While trying to keep up normality through hanging gardens and fish and chip suppers, this street has been perhaps irreparably strained. Norris does well to remind us that while these people struggle on, the lives of the lost are not forgotten.
One of the selections for City to City section at this years film festival, Norris' picture is worth a look but I cannot guarantee what your reaction will be when you exit. Who would have thought that murders could contain musical numbers?
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