Benjamin

Mediocrity at a push,

A charming and funny romance drama at its best

a dull experience at its worst.

We are introduced to Benjamin and his depressing perception of his own existence as he feels he is incapable of love. As the plot progresses we see Benjamin pursue a relationship with a French musician whilst dealing with his emotional insecurity. The premise of the film is quite simple yet the execution and originality is something that you can't escape (for better or for worse).

Colin Morgan's performance is definitely a highlight  as his authenticity makes Benjamin by far the most interesting and accessible character to watch, he'll make you laugh, cry and all-out cringe as he stumbles his way through (inevitably disastrous) social interactions.

Realism has a key presence and is very much the essence of the film however it limits its true potential, as a blend of simple and very 'real' shots begin to form a pattern and by the rolling of the end credits you've seen Benjamin walking streets and sitting on buses too many times than you'd care too remember. In short, the uninspiring visuals combined with repeated shots makes this film far from immersive.

The film also lacks plot. It seems as though nothing truly influential happens and the scenes appear to be as shy and nervous as the characters themselves. There are some scenes that broke away from the norm. These scenes either consisted of a musical montage of the stoned experience or the casual painting session involving some frontal nudity. Revitalising as these scenes were, they simply highlighted the missing vibrancy that was needed to lift this film towards a more entertaining experience.