Oscar-winning writer-director Steve McQueen (Hunger, 12 Years A Slave, Small Axe) has just opened the BFI London Film Festival with this heart-stoppingly brilliant film.
In the face of nightly air raids, East End mum Rita (yet another impressive turn by Saoirse Ronan – Atonement, The Outrun, Grand Budapest Hotel, Lady Bird) grows increasingly worried about her son George’s safety. Under the counsel of her father, Gerald (The Jam’s Paul Weller), she makes the heart-wrenching decision to send her son to the countryside. But hours into his journey, George alights the train, determined to return to Stepney Green and his family. Friends and foes stalk London’s streets, but each encounter populates George’s map of his world, giving him an understanding of how his fellow citizens are affected by these tumultuous times.
McQueen’s incredible ensemble cast includes Kathy Burke, Benjamin Clémentine, Harris Dickinson and Stephen Graham.
