London to Brighton

The door of a public toilet bursts open and Kelly (Stanley), sporting a swollen cheek, a black eye and a cut lip, pushes 11-year-old Joanna (Groome), dolled up to look much older, inside. Both are frantic and panicky and don't know what to do next. Someone outside bangs on the door and Kelly roars at them to "f*ck off!" The opening scene of Paul Andrew Williams' gritty London To Brighton sets its stall out from the beginning, and it doesn't get much cheerier thereafter. Kelly, a prostitute fearing the temper of her pimp Derek (Harris) - who is under pressure from a mob boss - catches a train to Brighton with Joanna in the hope of escaping life on the street. The story itself is pretty formulaic but Williams moves his film at such a frenetic pace it's hard to tear your eyes away from the screen for a second. Part of that is down to Williams' direction; but the acting is the film's biggest attraction. Stanley and Harris are flawless and deliver alarmingly realistic performances and not once are we reminded that they are just acting in a film. But the pick of the bunch is Georgia Groome. Making her debut here, she acts well beyond her years and we'll be seeing a lot more of her in the future. Presenting London as the worst place in the world, Williams' coarse locations and tight dialogue elevate London To Brighton above the also-rans.