The Kid

Nick Moran’s second feature – his first was a biopic of ‘Telstar’ producer Joe Meek – is another remarkable true story. His latest subject is British author Kevin Lewis (Rupert Friend), who published his life story and worked with Moran and ‘Triggermen’ writer Mark Thomas on the screenplay. The film opens with a series of young actors playing out shocking scenes of Lewis’s deprived childhood. Life looks up when he finds kind foster parents and a job, but there’s always a crook around the corner ready to exploit his naivety.

While the childhood scenes are affecting, ‘The Kid’ loses its sense of direction when Lewis reaches adulthood. Like ‘Telstar’, this fails to dig deep into its protagonist’s emotions – in fact, it barely touches the surface, merely relating events in a plodding fashion. Friend is fine, but a prosthetically altered Natascha McElhone overplays it as Lewis’s monstrous mother – it would be comical, if the story wasn’t so depressing. Where’s a more convincing actress when you need one? In short, this is an inspiring story, but it’s badly told. Best read the book instead.