Two soulmates found out how strong their friendship is during the aftermath of a devastating event.
British social realist films are as gritty and emotional as cinema can be, Lynn + Lucy is another to add to the esteemed list and it could well be right near the top. Accompanied by amazing performances from the two main leads, we follow the titular girls on a journey of guilt and loyalty as they struggle to balance their lives as mothers whilst still clinging on to the joys of childhood and everything that comes with it. Lynn + Lucy is director Fyzal Boulifa’s first feature film, and it is an emotionally charged rollercoaster that will have you shocked as it explores a hard-hitting topic.
Lynn + Lucy is an exploration of working-class backgrounds and its association with being a young parent, the hardships of unemployment and the small friendships we cling onto from our youth. The real surprise of the film is the performances of the two lead characters Lynn and Lucy, Nicola Burley (who first appeared on our screens in 2005’s Love + Hate) portrays Lucy, the bad girl of the two and the girl who every boy fancied in school. The star of the film though is first time actress Roxanne Scrimshaw who plays Lynn with such authenticity as a young mother who clings on to her only
friendship with the girl that helped her through high school in one piece. The fact that Scrimshaw was working in Lidl prior to her taking the leap for an audition is a testament to herself and the director for taking a risk that paid off massively.
Lynn + Lucy introduces us to the pair of girls who now live across the street from each other, being as inseparable as they were when they were children, there were rumours floating around that they were involved romantically. Even though they went down separate paths after school, Lynn becoming a teenage Mother with no other aspirations, whereas Lucy continued living up to her free-spirited moniker avoiding any sort of adult responsibility, they continue to be each other’s glue amidst the tribulations of life.
Excitement hits as Lucy has a baby boy, Harrison, although it is Lynn that is the more enthused out of the two girls. Lucy begs the question of is it that easy to love one’s child, much to the disbelief of Lynn who finds herself reassuring her soulmate. Lynn, who has recently started a new job at a hairdresser (where she is chastised once again by an old school acquaintance) comes home to find an ambulance outside her friends and faced with a shell-shocked Lucy. Harrison is carted away, and Lucy’s young partner Clark (Samson Cox-Vinell) is now under suspicion of shaking their child resulting in a premature death, Lynn takes this opportunity to tell her colleagues that Clark “had a sick sense of humour and is always playing those violent video games”. Lynn is now the centre of attention with her being close to the source of gossip and revels in a chance at earning new friends.
After claims by Lynn’s daughter Lola (Tia Nelson) that her “Aunt Lucy” was mean to baby Harrison, shouting and shaking him, Lynn is forced to now judge her best friend for herself, eventually siding with the rest of the community’s opinion that Lucy is a cruel and troubled woman who is very much at fault for her own sons’ death.
Boulifa was inspired to create Lynn + Lucy by a news story that appeared several years ago about a woman very much like Lucy who was harassed by the local community in the aftermath of losing her child. The film builds on this yet keeps the blueprint the same, it turns into a hunting ground where Lucy is the prey, and the local community comes together in trying to vanish this person who is now has the stigma of being dubbed a “baby killer”. The icing on the cake for Lucy’s demise is that her once self-acclaimed soulmate, the person she took under her wing all through school has turned against her as well, leaving her all alone in this world and a shadow of her former glory.
The first thing I noticed with this film was the way it was framed in a 4×3 constraint of the two girls’ worlds. This framing gives a special quality of intimacy and aids in showing us how close the two girls are with one another, as well as attempting to home in on the inner emotions and acute mannerisms that are in the human face, which works in great tandem with the subtlety of the two leads performances. Cinematographer and assistant editor Taina Galis attempt in experimentation with the aspect ratio is a great success and lifts the film to another level and separates it from being just another drama of social commentary that will pave the way to her being much more renowned down the line.
Lynn + Lucy is a fantastic little film that went staggeringly under the radar in that year’s awards nights and is a truly mesmeric in giving you an emotional punch to the stomach as you are plunged into this small world of loyalty and friendships. The performances of the two leads are the major pull for the film, especially Scrimshaw and here is hoping that this is just the start of a well-established acting career.
Available to watch on Amazon Prime and the BFI player now.
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