Last Resort Review
by David N. Butterworth (dnb AT dca DOT net)November 16th, 2001
LAST RESORT
A film review by David N. Butterworth
Copyright 2001 David N. Butterworth
***1/2 (out of ****)
With its barbed wire fences, ubiquitous security cameras, and canine units patrolling the perimeter, the fictitious English coastal town of Stonehaven could easily be mistaken for a maximum-security prison.
But this unbelievably bleak, desolate place is not a penitentiary but a refugee camp, a "holding area" for foreign nationals seeking political asylum.
Having first suffered the humiliation of brutish customs officials rifling through their personal belongings, the immigrants in Pawel Pawlikowski's poignant "Last Resort" are temporarily housed in an imposing tower block that, on the one side, overlooks a deserted amusement park named Dreamland and, on the other, the blustery North Sea (Stonehaven is, in actuality, the seaside town of Margate).
Since the telephones in the high rise don't work, there's always a long line of people snaking outside the solitary payphone that provides some sort of sanctuary--if only fleetingly--on the windswept promenade. The only food in town is provided by a greasy fish and chip shop which sports equally long lines and "no fish in the fish, just batter" according to Artiom, a ten-year-old Russian boy who has just arrived in the country with his mother, Tanya (a stunningly good Dina Korzun).
They find themselves in Stonehaven when Tanya's British fiancé fails to show up at the airport and there's no way out of the east coast ghost town until asylum has been granted (approximate holding time: 12-16 months). Unlike his wary, naïve mother, the street-smart Artiom (maturely played by Artiom Strelnikov, eyes of piercing blue like DiCaprio's) is wise beyond his years. He knows that in this place, if someone is nice to you they're probably selling something.
Ironically, the nicest person in town isn't pushing anything. Alfie (Paddy Considine), the arcade manager and sometime bingo caller who finds himself befriending Artiom, is a rarity in this or any other place: a genuine, caring individual. He lets Tanya cut in line to use the telephone; he exposes them to the varied flavors and strengths of Indian cuisine; he paints their flat blue. What threatens his evolving relationship with Tanya, however, is Tanya's need to make some money, with her best offer tendered by a sleazy cyber-sex pornographer.
Writer/director Pawlikowski strikes a nice balance between pathos and tenderness; his actors are outstanding; and he frames his visuals with a deliberate, creative eye. "Last Resort" is the latest offering in the Shooting Gallery’s independent/foreign film series and, like many of the series’ previous entries ("Croupier," "Orphans," etc.), it affords us that rare opportunity to see something a little bit out of the ordinary ... and a little bit extraordinary.
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David N. Butterworth
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