Gypo

GYPO
LIONSGATE UK
RELEASED 20 October 2006
It’s not often that we get to see a genuinely realistic and moving portrayal of British life on the big screen. Perhaps once a year does a new director like Lynne Ramsay (Ratcatcher), Shane Meadows (Dead Man’s Shoes) or Neil Marshall (The Descent) appear from nowhere and remind us that we can make movies just as well, if not better, than anything America can offer. I have no qualms in declaring that ‘Gypo’ director and writer Jan Dunn is the new star of British cinema, and has the potential to be the next Mike Leigh.
Helen (Pauline McLynn) has been married to Paul (Paul McGann) for twenty-five years. Her life is dreary and frustrating with her husband and kids being completely unsupportive. An evening art class seems to be the only enjoyment in life. Paul is going nowhere as a carpet-fitter, and resents being on the breadline while asylum seekers come into the country ‘stealing our jobs’. Helen’s daughter Kelly (Tamzin Dunstone) introduces her family to her friend from hairdressing college, Tasha (Chloe Sirene), a Romany Czech refugee who is close to getting her British passport along with her mother Irine (Rula Lenska).
Everything about ‘Gypo’ works wonderfully. There are brilliant performances all round, pick of the bunch being Pauline McLynn’s struggling mum. The dialogue sounds like real-life, and the clever unravelling of the story told through the eyes of the three main characters reveals new aspects of the story like a thriller, and just like a thriller you really don’t know what’s going to be the fate of our cast. All the supporting characters have a life of their own, and the five main charaters are all developed immensely in the space of just 98 minutes. The cinematography is exceptional, all the while adhering to the Dogme95 rules of film-making (amongst other stipulations, no lighting, which means everything at night looks very yellow). That they filmed this for a budget of just £40,000 and in exactly 13 days (with no spare footage) is amazing. Highly recommended for fans of gritty British cinema.
FOUR OUT OF FIVE