Ruth Wilson and Tom Burke prove a combustible combination in Harry Wootliff’s follow-up to her acclaimed debut Only You.
Kate (Wilson) works a humdrum job as a benefits officer in a coastal town. It’s where she meets blond-mopped Samuel (Burke), a charismatic ex-con. No sooner has he semi-seriously asked her out to lunch than they are having sex in a car park. It’s not like Kate to do this, but that’s part of the attraction; she lacks an element of danger in her life and sees in this clearly troubled individual a chance to grab at it. But whatever high she gets from their carnal encounters soon spirals into something far more troubling.
Wootliff’s adaptation of Deborah Kay Davies’ acclaimed 2010 novel True Things About Me wisely avoids too much explanation as to its protagonists’ motivations, preferring instead for us explore for ourselves the reasons for their actions. We see enough of Kate’s world to understand why she might want to introduce some excitement into it. But Samuel remains far more inscrutable, which only adds to the film’s tension. The two actor’s chemistry drives the narrative, but Wootliff keeps a strong hold on the film’s pace and visual style, creating an impressive psychodrama that never loses its grip.
