In much the same way that Boy Erased curiously paralleled The Miseducation of Cameron Post months later, Ben is Back sees arthouse starlet Lucas Hedges lead a belated companion piece to Felix van Groeningen’s Beautiful Boy. Both features concern the strain of parental connection in the face of a crippling drug addiction. Whereas the latter told the tale of father and son, the former offers the perspective of a mother. It’s moving stuff, very well directed and performed with outstanding nuance by a tremendous cast.
Bless Jessica Hynes. Our interview with the star of Spaced, The Royal Family and Twenty Twelve was moved last minute from midday to the end of a long afternoon of media coverage. And, in the nicest way possible, you can tell in her voice that it’s been a long afternoon of media coverage. Despite this, Hynes only grows in animation as we discuss her new film – The Fight – and the Kent town at its beating heart.
Being associated with comedy must be a burden. Wearing this weight of expectation, it’s no wonder that Jessica Hynes looks quite so exhausted throughout her directorial debut. The Fight is not, however, a comedy. Revolving around a plot concerned with the genealogy of bullying, this is actually surprisingly sober material from the star of Twenty Twelve and Up the Women. As first features go, it’s a touch uneven but essentially promising.
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