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London to Brighton

London to Brighton is a 2006 British neo-noir crime film written and directed by Paul Andrew Williams released to generally mixed to average critic reviews but was a box office failure, grossing $449,700 on a budget of $639,200.

Plot

The film opens with a woman and child, Kelly and Joanne, bursting into a London toilet stall. Joanne is crying and Kelly has a black eye. Eventually Kelly gets them on a train to Brighton, and it is clear they are running from someone.

Joanne is an eleven-year-old runaway who is procured by a reluctant Kelly into having sex with an old violent mobster who is a paedophile. Kelly's pimp, Derek, bullies her into complying, but it all goes horribly wrong, and the old mobster is killed, presumably by one of the girls. The older man's son, Stuart, then forces Derek to find the girls. The film follows the duo's flight from London in the wake of what has happened.

Arriving initially in Brighton, Kelly visits her friend Karen and tries to earn enough money through prostituting herself to help Joanne afford the train to Devon, where the child's grandmother lives. The two are eventually tracked down by her pimp and his associate and taken to meet Stuart at a secluded field. Upon arrival, Kelly's pimp and associate are made to dig two graves, presumably for the girls. However, Stuart decides that the girls are the victims in this episode and decides instead to kill Kelly's pimp and associate. The film ends with Kelly and Joanne arriving at Joanne's grandma's house in Devon. Kelly watches from a distance as the girl and the grandmother hug, then turns away.

Main cast

Lorraine Stanley as Kelly
Georgia Groome as Joanne
Sam Spruell as Stuart Allen
Alexander Morton as Duncan Allen
Johnny Harris as Derek
Chloe Bale as Karen
Claudie Blakley as Tracey
Nathan Constance as Chum

Reception

Box office

The film's box office earnings grossed $449,700, with $6,700 in its opening weekend of U.S. & Canada of February 10, 2008.

Critical response

The film received generally positive reviews from critics. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports that the film has a 67% approval rating, based on 27 reviews. The website's consensus reads, "With its grimy sets, taut storyline, and relentless sense of doom, London to Brighton is an auspicious directorial debut by Paul Andrew Williams." Metacritic reports that the film has an average score of 55 out of 100, based on seven critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

Awards and nominations

The film won a British Independent Film Award for Best Achievement in Production. Williams won the Golden Hitchcock award at the Dinard Festival of British Cinema, the New Director's Award at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, Best Feature Film at the Foyle Film Festival, and a Jury Prize at the Raindance Film Festival.