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llere comes the post-E: Tony Curran (left) and Sheila Whitfield experience Coming Down
Winning streak
Matt Winn's chemically-charged COMING DOWN opens the latest series of Channel 4's short film season The Shooting Gallery, and is further proof that the British film industry has a potent future. \".o"<:x Thom Dibdin
'l'uo )L‘tll‘S ix reekmted to he the uxual length ol time lot" moxt people\ |o\ e al‘l'air \\llli ra\ing. 'l‘uo )L‘éll'x ol pill-popping and |u\ \ed-up hedonixm. ol' larging it lrom l‘rida) night to .\londa_\ morning. oi eluhx and partiex and ‘haek to mine' l'or xplillx and tea and ehill out \\illt more pillx and muxie and toueli_\—l'eel} l'i'iendxhipx.
llut \xhal happenx at the end ol thoxe )earx. \xhen )0“ \\;tle‘ tip one morning and go: ‘\\‘hat hax e i been doing." \Vhen _\ott eome out ol' a eluh and “am to go to )our bed. not to another all-night xexxion.
l’lent} ol l'ilmx and literature mm the laxt lt‘\\ )earx ha\ e attempted to eapture the euphorie high ol' lltL‘ l'.c'\ltl\_\ L‘\|k‘l‘lt‘lic‘c‘ “lillc‘ otherx ha\e gone tor the erain ol' the eome—domi. llut moxt people juxt grim out ol' liextax}. etnerging into the real \xorld ehanged. hut ll\ll;lll} unharmed. h} their e\perieneex. lt ix thix part ol' the altair \\hieh. although largel} une\p|ored. hax the iiioxt potential l‘or drama: the lime “lien the future littx to he littc‘ed and tlec‘ixtonx tlttttlc‘.
Step l'oruard the opening film in (’hannel 4'x The Shooting (iallei'_\ xeaxon ol' xhort l'ilmx liom ne\\ l'ilmmakerx: ('umi/ig Hun-n. written and direeted h) .\latt \Vinn ol’ danee aet l)”.\'ote lame. lt‘x the ximple xlttl'} oi li\ e eluhherx ehilling out alter eelehrating the .illth hirthda} ol one ol' their number. .laxon.
‘lt ix xueh a x}mho|ie liextax} lilm.‘ xa_\x The Shooting (ialler) eommixxioning editor Kat}
112THELIST . ’ ‘. . .'. '
'l'lioi'ogood. ‘l-L\ei"\oiie \\lto xeex it reall_\ reeognixex that. Matt \Vinn eapturex the moment xo \tell. the moment \xhen people in their late-tuentiex \tho ha\e heen eluhhing l'or agex axk lltc‘lll\c‘l\ ex \\ hat the} ha\ e heen doing all that time.‘
What reall} xetx (‘mnine Hun/I aho\e mueh ol
\\ hat hax eome helore ix that. \\lillc‘ \Vinn hax xueeexxl'ull} eaptured the riixh ol liextax} uxe. hix lilm ix exxentiall) eharaeter-dmen. lion} ('urran t.~\lan l'rom 'I‘lu‘x life) ix partieularl) tixel‘ul ax .laxon'x hext mate. llix eharaeter (iarix hringx a t\\c'iit}—_\c';ii'-old mirxe along to the part}. hut endx tip xnogging .laxon'x girll'riend on a trip to the all night garage to hit} the
tixual tuent} lagx. paelxet ol \l\lli\ and bar ol‘
ehoeolate.
.'\nd don’t tr) to tell me that the aetorx did not etnplo) “lihe Method‘ to get into eharaeter lor the liextax} --uxing xeenex.
llexidex eneapxulating the mood ol a \\ hole generation ol elttlthel'x. (hm/"Hg Dunn ix a eonet‘ele e\ample ol' the iiitieli—lnped hurgeoning ol‘ the llritixh lilm induxtr}. .\ total ol ()7 lilmx are on \ ieu o\ er The Shooting (i;il|c‘i'}'x eight niglitx. ehoxen limit in er l()()t) xuhmitted. .-\nd not all ol' them are the produet til. liltti \c‘ltottl xllltlc‘nlx.
"l‘he more interexting onex are thoxe made outxide an} l'ilm xehool em ironment.‘ xa_\x 'l‘horogood. "l‘he'\
are the real rim talent. You think “llou did _\ou knoxx him to do that?" .\'ohod}K taught them. .'\ma/ing. The) are the onex that ha\ e to get their lunding l'rom t‘otii‘ dil‘l'erent plaeex and in the meantime \\in'l\ it] .\lL‘l)UllilltlS. ’l‘ltc‘} ttl'c‘ l‘L‘itl \\ttl'lx\ til. paxxionf
Making a xliort l‘ilm ma} produee mueli hlood. x\\ eat and heartaehe. \\ith the guarantee that )ou are ne\er going to get _\our mone} haek. hut it ix thankx to lilmx lllxc‘ ('um/ng [hm-n in partieular and thoxe in The Shooting (ialler) in general that our film induxtr} ean reall) he xeen to he on the up.
The new series of The Shooting Gallery begins with Coming Down on Channel 4, Thu 11 Dec, midnight. D‘Note's soundtrack to Coming Down is out now on VC recordings.
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