AKA

Public and private personae are the crux of this first feature, a Jekyll and Hyde portrait of British society set in 1979. Coming from a humble family, itself no stranger to secrets and lies, unassuming Romford teenager Dean Page (Leitch) stumbles into the ultimate get-ahead-quick scheme: he simply poses as a toff. After meeting voracious Lady Francine (Quick), he's soon borrowing her son's identity and living the life of Lord Riley in Paris. Matters unfold on three parallel screens within the screen. Establishing shots and close-ups, flashbacks and alternate takes are juggled synchronously, offering a freedom of focus that deepens one's immersion in the story. It's most incisive and funny early on as Dean rises through the ranks of sundry grotesques. If things become a little stretched, overall it's a fascinating panorama of a particularly British malaise.