Review of Living in Hope

I saw this movie at the 2004 Rebelfest International Film Festival in Toronto and thought it was excellent. The British teen-movie/college picture is virtually a non-existent genre but on this evidence one has to wonder why. Student life in the UK is full of great stories and situations and this movie captures many of them as it follows a group of friends through their first term at university in Bristol. Paul Foster is particularly good as the reserved Northerner with a secret but the film showcases some fantastic British talent, a number of whom have progressed significantly since the film's completion in 2002 (Naomie Harris for instance went on to appear in 28 Days Later). The film is carefully paced and balances the more leisurely emotional scenes with high-tempo moments of action and comedy to form a really satisfying mix. The non-British audience found some of the dialogue a little hard to follow at times (due to some strong accents) but the chemistry of the characters seemed to win most people over. Great stuff.