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★★★★
Directed by: Luke Allen
Written by: Luke Allen
Starring: Alexander Westwood, Helen Austin, Margot McClane , Steve Shinners and Peter Terry
Unstable Movie Review
Of course, many of us experiment with drugs in our teens and come out of the other side, titling it ''just a phase'' but some of us flop off the wagon like a wet fish and can’t find our way back to reality, and this week’s triple threat of a dandy filmmaker, Luke Allen, decides to tackle such a subject with his short film.
Unstable tells the story of a young man who, after a series of bad events in his life, falls deeper and deeper into his drug addiction, daddy dies, his girlfriend has had enough of dating a junkie, he hangs around in a tunnel and someone thinks he is homeless...bad times.
And while some of us would simply choose to not sit on the piss soaked floor of a tunnel, thus not being confused with a homeless man, drugs seem like the more fun way to tackle these issues for our leading man. But after he hits rock bottom he is able to ask for the help he needs, he is able to face the real world and understand drugs are not the answer.
Now while this all sounds a little played out, yeah we have seen this storyline time and time again, we have to ask what makes Unstable a short film worth a watch?
The simple answer is the environment in which this movie was made; with no budget, only his friends as his cast and production, direction and writing all on his shoulders, Luke Allen creates an immersive world, one where his youth and zero budget actually complement the teenage kicks he is trying to portray on screen.
Straight out the gate, you feel 16 again, that nervous exchange with a girl you like on a park bench, the feeling of needing independence but also needing guidance from your parents as tedious exchanges are made around the family dinner table, this was British youth perfectly captured on the screen.
The acting was as good as to be expected for a group of young people who were unpaid and doing this project out of love, I was surprised at some of the performances, clunky at points sure, but still able to portray the emotions required to fill the scene, and let’s face facts: that clunky exchange is something that reminds us so much of our teenage years, bringing home a more developed relationship with those on screen.
Although the storyline lacked anything original or unique to engage with, this is still an enjoyable and relatable piece of short filmmaking. Allen displays dedication to his craft and if he is able to continue this then a promising future may be ahead of him...as long as he does not hang around too many tunnels.
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