WATCH THE FILM HERE
First, the Recap:
Ever get the sense you’re being followed? Or, perhaps, you weren’t being followed until one particular, peculiar, randomly mundane encounter subsequently causes you to suddenly be the attention of a rather spooky individual. Hmmm–this doesn’t sound “off” at all. The night has set in, and a solitary man, Stephen (Neil James), quietly seeks for the last bus home to arrive. Without warning, he is confronted by a somewhat unkempt beggar (Steve Larkin) asking an all-too-familiar question. Stephen, in so-often-invoked response, advises he has no change to provide. Leaving things at that, Stephen walks away to continue his trek to the bus. However, out of the blue, the same beggar is present in his vicinity again.
A little put off, Stephen once again chooses to avoid the beggar’s question and apparent need. Yet, no matter where he seems to end up traversing to, Stephen constantly runs into the same beggar who requests the same thing every single time. Now fearing something more could be up, plus for that matter being just plain freaked out, Stephen runs through the night streets trying to truly ditch his relentless pursuer. Finally accosted yet again, Stephen, baffled and at wit’s end, gives in to the beggar’s plea, to a less than stellar reaction (or total lack of one) from his determined “shadow”. Having given up almost everything, Stephen soon realizes it’s only the beginning of a brand new road for both men.
Next, my Mind:
The indie short film genius emanating from 23 1/2 Films and writer/director/producer/cinematographer/editor Daniel Harding continues here with this absolutely brilliant 6-minute effort. Simply oozing the patented satirical/dramatic humor Harding’s films tend to showcase, the narrative additionally delivers a fantastically orchestrated play on the query The Beggar asks throughout the proceedings, leading to an excellent finale that drives home the primary intent with heady precision and thought-provoking punch. Stark cinematography embraces the two characters, and the nighttime setting which dominates a majority of the film infuses the proceedings with an unsettling, almost horror-film atmosphere to boot.
James is a staple presence in a multitude of Harding’s films, which is awesome because he always delivers the characters he’s given with poise, finesse, humor, and an overall “average Joe” demeanor so well-suited for these tales. This is no exception, as he plays Stephen to a “T”, presenting a man just trying to get home with the last money and, soon, ounce of sanity he has, all while trying to escape a scarily dogged antagonist. Watching Stephen’s slow decent into an overtly flustered state is total entertainment, which James enacts wonderfully. Larkin’s Beggar is a completely marvelous study in saying a lot without hardly saying anything at all, his unflinching, unchanging facial expression paired with the strangely eerie persistence the character displays with Stephen is delightfully wicked and engaging, to Larkin’s total credit.
Add composer Gus Nicolson’s music score, which so perfectly accompanies the action, and you have here, in total, another sublime example of what can be accomplished with a story in short order, yet have it have an impact that will resonate and evoke further contemplation well after those 6 minutes are up. “Two Pounds Forty Pence” is worth every single penny to view, folks, and it’s thanks to the independent film world we all now get to enjoy it.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
