Love + Hate Review

"LOVE + HATE" reviews

Movie

LOVE + HATE

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2006-04-28 17:02:38

Provider

Review

With racism and integration becoming hot topics in the UK for the first time in 20 years, Dominic Savage's debut film is as timely as it is impressive. Set in an unnamed northern town, Love + Hate features at its heart two cross-racial relationships, and the strains placed on all concerned by small minds and restrictive attitudes. The British-born Naseema (Samina Awan) gets a job working in the local DIY shop, where she meets and falls for Adam (Tom Hudson), despite his coming from a racist family and liking nothing more than chucking bricks through windows and terrorising those he calls "Pakis".

Meanwhile her brother Yousif (Was Zakir) is similarly striking up with Michelle (Nichola Burley), despite his disapproval of his sister's affair with Adam. Impetuous and domineering, Yousif finds it hard to reconcile his own behaviour with the demands placed on him by his role in the family and their religious beliefs, and the film is principally concerned with whether the couple can stay together in the face of such culture clashes.

Largely improvised, Love + Hate uses an inexperienced cast for maximum authenticity, concocting a film that is both enthralling and moving in a refreshingly short space of time at just 86 minutes long. The performances are universally excellent, and although the film lacks the breathtaking originality of its most obvious predecessor My Beautiful Launderette, it's a reminder that Britain has a long and strong tradition in realist cinema. This is a welcome addition.