Review of Starred Up

On Thursday 29th January, I went to watch 'Starred Up' at Signal Films. As someone who has a high interest in crime and the prison system, I was really looking forward to seeing ths film. 
From the opening scene where you see the main character 'Eric Love' being admitted into the prison, you feel the coldness, harshness by the setting of the scene. The film was filmed at the former HM Prison Crumlin Road in Belfast although it wasn't actually set there in Ireland. This makes the viewer feel like they're experiencing what Eric is going through and as it shot at his eye level, it's giving you an idea of what he may be thinking. 
I liked how they portrayed the relationships between the character for example; Eric and his father, Nev Love who is high up in the notarity of the inmates. There's Eric and Oliver, the group therapist. Then Eric against the prison officers/governor. As it is male orientated, you can expect violence, and survival tactics but I enjoyed seeing the vulnerability, especially in Eric. At times during the film, t made me feel angry for Eric and even for Oliver, other parts of it actually pulled at my heart strings. This all balances out the brutality and harshness of the film and gives it a deeper level. It is definitely more of a human tale rather than just being a prison drama. The fact it is not glamourised makes it more realistic and gritty. 
I would definitely recommend everyone to give this film a chance. The cast did a fantastic job of portraying their characters and Jack .O'Connell is one to watch out for. He brings a mature, intense and relatable nature to the character, Eric. I find it hard to remember that Jack is only 24 years old but from research, he himself has been on the wrong side of the law so he was able to use his own experiences into this. I think this helps to build the character of Eric and the film to be as realistic as it can be. 
So, I thoroughly thought Starred Up is a fantastic film and I hope everyone gets to see it. I'm thankful for Signal Films showing it and keep a look our for other films they will be having on.

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