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A standard-issue screenplay reads thus: the status quo is upended in the life of the key character who - through tackling the crisis - restores harmony by the end of the film. In other words, sizeable dramatic moments are the order of the day. By complete contrast, "The Low Down" - almost self-consciously anti-dramatic in its approach - has no exploding bombs, car crash, or dysfunctional family. What it does have is a continuous stream of small moments designed to reveal the often disheartening grind of daily life as experienced by those who aren't wrestling with illness, bereavement, or divorce but are just struggling to get through the day.
In particular, the story hangs on Frank (Aiden Gillen "Queer as Folk") who is not entirely unhappy with his lot but is possessed of an unease he doesn't quite understand and a desire for change he doesn't know how to achieve. He is in essence a London 20-something who fancies taking a stab at adult responsibility but is constantly drawn to the antics of adolescence. Trying to catch cigarettes between his lips and playing with a toy taxi amusingly highlight his childishness.
Gillen effectively suggests all manner of thoughts and emotions (often conflicting) whether scratching his head, biting a pen, or stumbling his way through a conversation. Kate Ashfield, who plays his estate agent girlfriend, nails the maturity and confidence of a forward-thinking adult. Director Jamie Thraves (who made the video for Radiohead's "Just") knows how to create power from an accumulation of detail, wee asides, and glances but also forgets that daily drabness can be rather dull to watch. Neither are his hand-held camera or preference for short scenes always easy on the eye, but well-acted authenticity from the cast makes up for it.
