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THE LOW DOWN

By Merle Bertrand | November 9, 2000

British music video director Jamie Thraves makes his feature debut with this London drama focusing on the lives of a group of 20-somethings struggling to make sense of the world around them. Thraves was obviously going for that minimalist Godard-Cassavettes vibe with his handheld cameras, whitewashed sets and naturalistic, improvised performances, but there’s not a single convincing scene in the entire film. And a decent cast (anchored by Aidan Gillen, excellent in “Queer as Folk”) flounders to find the tone of each scene, not to mention the characters they’re supposed to play.
It’s excruciatingly bland and pointless from start to finish, worth seeing only for curiosity value alone. And it’ll probably win the Palme d’Or at Cannes next year. Egads.

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