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I Was a Soldier
UK 2024
produced by Russell Meyers, Jenna Popperwell, Maralyn Reynolds (executive), David Reynolds (executive) for Great British Entertainment, Lexicon Film Productions
directed by Myles Petford
starring Russell Meyers, Kevin Horsham, Eleanor Byrne, Heather Cairns, James Hare, Sonia Sackey, Chris Wilson, Rocci Boy Williams, Lottie F. Yinka, Annaliza Pacho, Helen Gibbs, Claire Coull, Jessica Flood, Richard Stride, Robert Preston, Britney Hildreth, Frederick Di Rosa, Katie Swarbick, Bonnie Swarbick, Elizabeth Rands, Eloise Pink, Rosalie Cuthbert, Margaret James, Paula Brett, Calum Andrew Ralph, Hannah Mauvis, Joshua Mauvis, Julie Faye, John Paul, Dave Savage, Charles Rochelle, Neil Simms, Sam Ball, Jak Butler
story by Russell Meyers, screenplay by Myles Petford, music by Toby Dunham
review by Mike Haberfelner
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Dave (Russell Meyers) has served his country as a paratrooper in the
Falkland War. But that was many years ago, and the war has left him with
PTSD, which means he had severe difficulties re-adjusting to life as a
civilian - so much so that he has been living on the streets for the past
several years, with only his dog Sally as his companion. But now Sally
needs surgery, and even if the vet (Jessica Flood) offers to make him a
special price, that's still more than Dave can even hope to make from just
begging for money ... These days, Dave has made an abandoned trailer his
home, right across Malcky's (Kevin Horsham) little burger shack, and at
first Malcky tries to chase off the homeless man, deeming him bad for
business - but somehow they become fast friends instead, also owing to the
fact that Malcky has served in the army himself and lost his son in a war.
So he and his help Ruth (Eleanor Byrne) try to help Dave back on track,
try to get him a job and when that doesn't work persuade him to sell
flowers next to their shack. And after a slow start, he actually does
decent business, also thanks to a well-meaning reporter (Sonia Sackey)
putting a tearjerker article about the vet trying to save his dog by
selling flowers into a popular local mag. This though puts housing council
officer Harris (Heather Cairns) on his case, who deems Dave a threat to
society and his trailer a safety hazard, and she'll stop at nothing to
have him evicted. On top of that, Sally's condition takes a turn for the
worse ... Now granted, this isn't at all a film that's free of
tearjerker moments - but at the same time it's also a movie with a lot of
heart, and these moments all come from that heart, not from manipulating
the audience's lachrymal gland with exaggerated clichés. And as a result,
there's more to this film's story than just a man trying to save his dog,
this one goes much more in the direction of social commentary, and a
fittingly subtle directorial effort helps the film hitting its mark, while
naturalistic and relatable performances keep things grounded, all of this
making I Was a Soldier a really worthwhile watch.
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review © by Mike Haberfelner
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Robots and rats,
demons and potholes, cuddly toys and shopping mall Santas,
love and death and everything in between,
Tales to Chill Your Bones to is all of that.
Tales to Chill Your Bones to -
a collection of short stories and mini-plays ranging from the horrific to the darkly humourous,
from the post-apocalyptic to the weirdly romantic,
tales that will give you a chill and maybe a chuckle,
all thought up by the twisted mind of screenwriter and film reviewer Michael Haberfelner.
Tales to Chill Your Bones to
the new anthology by Michael Haberfelner
Out now from Amazon!!! |
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