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A Way of Life

  • 2004
  • 1h 31m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
694
YOUR RATING
A Way of Life (2004)
Drama

At 17 LeighAnne Williams has a six month old baby to look after, with only the help of three teenage squatters who flog stolen gear to make ends meet. A neighbour (actually from Turkey) acro... Read allAt 17 LeighAnne Williams has a six month old baby to look after, with only the help of three teenage squatters who flog stolen gear to make ends meet. A neighbour (actually from Turkey) across the street becomes target to her growing paranoia that Social Services are going to tak... Read allAt 17 LeighAnne Williams has a six month old baby to look after, with only the help of three teenage squatters who flog stolen gear to make ends meet. A neighbour (actually from Turkey) across the street becomes target to her growing paranoia that Social Services are going to take her daughter, Rebecca, away from her. Her behavior becoming increasingly desperate as he... Read all

  • Director
    • Amma Asante
  • Writer
    • Amma Asante
  • Stars
    • Stephanie James
    • Gary Sheppeard
    • Nathan Jones
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.7/10
    694
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Amma Asante
    • Writer
      • Amma Asante
    • Stars
      • Stephanie James
      • Gary Sheppeard
      • Nathan Jones
    • 16User reviews
    • 25Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 BAFTA Award
      • 10 wins & 4 nominations total

    Photos1

    View Poster

    Top cast32

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    Stephanie James
    • Leigh-Anne Williams
    Gary Sheppeard
    • Robbie Matthews
    Nathan Jones
    • Gavin Williams
    Dean Wong
    • Stephen Rajan
    Sara Gregory
    Sara Gregory
    • Julie Osman
    Oliver Haden
    • Hassan Osman
    Brenda Blethyn
    Brenda Blethyn
    • Annette
    Eli Williams
    • Rebecca Williams
    Darcy Williams
    • Rebecca Williams
    Lynsey Richards
    • Helen
    Victoria Pugh
    Victoria Pugh
    • Social Worker
    Amy Morgan
    • Karen Williams
    Gareth Gethyn Evans
    • Evin
    Philip Howe
    • Jacob
    Ri Richards
    Ri Richards
    • Brenda Williams
    Nicholas McGaughey
    • Terry Williams
    • (as Nick McGaughey)
    Karen Elli
    • Helen's Mother
    Marlene Griffiths
    • Mary
    • Director
      • Amma Asante
    • Writer
      • Amma Asante
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews16

    6.7694
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    Featured reviews

    dgwyn66

    Remarkable film debut

    A Way of Life is an extraordinary and disturbing film.It seems scarcely credible that the director is making her debut and the performances of the largely unknown cast so powerful and totally convincing.I would feel confident in asserting,for example, that the performance of Stephanie James in the central role of Leigh-Anne will stand comparison with those who will be honoured at the Oscar ceremony next month.Her portrayal of an attractive and intelligent young woman smouldering with racial hatred and frustration is one that will live in the memory .It is a film that gets under your skin and forces you to ask yourself some fundamental questions.How did these young people get to be the way they are? Is the connection between poverty and deprivation on the one hand and violence and cruelty on the other too facile,although it should be said that the film itself makes no such facile connection.The whole thing is unsettling and uncomfortable and you cannot take your eyes from the unfolding tragedy. By chance I had seen Clint Eastwood's accomplished Million Dollar Baby a couple of days before.Of the latter The Guardian's film critic,Peter Bradshaw, rightly remarked that,three-quarters of the way through, it delivers to the audience a right hook like Jack Dempsey.A Way of Life delivers a barrage of right and left hooks that leave one bruised and soul-searching as one emerges from the cinema.
    bob the moo

    A very good British film that deserves an audience bigger than it has so far been given

    The tag line for this film is "In real life there are no happy endings" but to be honest you don't need to wait till the end of the film to find a lack of happiness because it is all through this story. In a coastal Welsh town, Leigh-Anne lives below the poverty line with her new baby. Her "partner" is around but not contributing and her day-to-day life involves hanging around with her equally jobless friends and trying to get enough money to afford the basics. As she hangs round with her friends, her frustration at her situation spills over into hatred and aggression at those around her.

    I'm not quite sure what she is doing now but when this film came out a few years ago Amma Asante was hailed as part of a new wave of British talent. Eventually getting to see this film for myself I can understand why because it is an excellent piece of work with only a few weaknesses that bugged me. The plot does have a narrative flow but ultimately it is about the characters and, as such it is a convincing and engaging film because the characters are very well written. It is not a happy watch of course because it does pain a depressing picture of those on the lowest rungs of society – full of anger looking for an outlet and frustrated to the point where they seem unable to even aspire to more than their lot. It is very convincing for the most part although at times some of the touches or detail did have the ring of "film reality" rather than reality because although Asante does seem to understand her characters, she does occasionally give them moments of self-awareness that I wasn't convinced by.

    As director she is also good but with a few issues. The opening beating is intense for one example – the camera gliding round the library was also well done and increased the tension later in the film. Outside of moments like these, the direction is still very good, with strong cinematography but ye intimately shot. I wasn't sure about the score though. I've nothing against the use of David Gray because it did work quite well at times but it was rather overused I thought. Asante's direction of her cast is good and she is rewarded by good performances. James is excellent in the lead and makes a very convincing character. Her self-pity is there but she keeps it from being useful and instead did a good job of showing her frustrations at her self being turned outwards. To me she is the film and again it is impressive that she carries it so well. Support is good from the rest of the cast though, all of whom fit into this world convincingly with turns from Haden, Wong, Sheppeard, Gregory and Blethyn (who's character may not be big but I suspect she was important in regards funding and distribution, so credit to her for that support).

    Overall then a very strong and engaging film. It is not cheerful and it is not perfect but Asante's writing shows she understands her characters and can translate that into words and actions that mostly ring true. As director she produces some great shots but also creates an intimacy without losing the effect of being cinematic. A very good British film that deserves an audience bigger than it has so far been given.
    6georgiain

    Good material, wooden delivery

    This film certainly had a lot of potential. The film certainly pulls no punches when it comes to portraying the main characters. We are shown their violence, racism and bigotry in depth. Not that they are averse to exploiting their own, as several episodes show.

    Whilst the main characters certainly have many unsavoury characteristics the film does allow time to explore what made them what they are. Many factors are highlighted, lack of stable partnerships, low self-esteem, lack of commitment, lack of parenting skills, drugs, unstable violent backgrounds, unemployment, discrimination and lack of opportunities.

    My main criticism of the film is not that it isn't well researched. The problem is in the production. The direction is so leaden and obvious. The characters have no space to develop and the director rams their points into your face. You could almost imagine that this was produced as a course material for a school sociology program.

    The camera-work and sound tract only reinforce this. The angles and shots are all so daytime TV, zooming into faces for close ups in those confrontation moments, giving the obligatory 2 second scenic scene setting shots at all the appropriate moments. Need I say that the soundtrack is hardly subtly or seamlessly enmeshed.

    All in all whilst this film has good intentions, good material and some good acting the whole thing feels poorly put together and ends up loosing a lot of its impact between the cracks in the production.
    dermottferry

    a remarkable achievement

    A Way of Life

    I was not prepared for what I seen in this film. I went into this with the impression that it was going to be some movie about struggling teenagers who turn out alright in the end. I thought that I would leave the cinema saying, 'well…that was nothing special.' I was completely wrong. It was one of the best films I've seen all year. Directed by first timer Amma Asante, it is the harsh truth of the state of lower class citizens, one of the most important messages ever sent out of a film. You will leave more determined to be a better parent in the future.

    The film draws you in straight away as it begins with a gang of teenagers physically assaulting a middle aged man in the middle of the street. The ferociousness of the beating their giving out made me sit up straight away and take notice. The film then travels back to the events leading up to this attack.

    At the beginning we are introduced to Leigh-Anne (Stephanie James). Leigh-Anne is a frustrated, angry teenage mother living in a council flat with no electricity. Her mother killed herself when Leigh was just a child and she also, along with her brother, suffered constant abuse form her father. So with only her brother and his two friends to support her, and with very little income coming in, times are hard for Leigh. Her only reason for living is her daughter Rebecca, and she will do anything, literally, to protect her. Her Grandmother Annette (Brenda Blethyn) feels that she would be more suited to look after Rebecca, which leads to several run ins between the two. Annette isn't the only person she has trouble with, due to her jealousy and racist standpoint, Leigh is involved in constant confrontations with Turk Hassan Osman (Oliver Haden). Another reason for this hatred towards Osman is Leigh is jealous of the relationship he has with his daughter Julie (Sara Gregory).

    In one scene we see an example of the lengths Rebecca will go to help her daughter- no matter how brutal. She acts as a pimp to gain £30 off a man who comes looking for sexual service. Rather than have sex with the man herself, she convinces a girl younger than herself, to seal the deal. "Just open your legs and let him do the rest'. It is one of the most startling and shocking scenes of the film.

    Leigh's brother Gavin (Nathan Jones), and his two friends Robbie (Gary Sheppeard) and Stephen (Dean Wong), are always there for Leigh. But that usually involves crime and anti-social behaviour. The four of them as a group run riot and it's when they are together we see that despite being a committed mother, Leigh is far from an innocent little girl.

    Leigh is regularly visited by a social worker (Marged Esli), and after seeing her chatting to hated neighbour Hassan, she is convinced that Osman is plotting to get her baby taken away from her. One of the most significant parts of the film is when baby Julie is burned by a candle at home. This leads to a string of events that leads to the tragedy that we caught a glimpse of at the start. The aftermath of this is even more tragic.

    This is a film that will leave you thinking of the youth out there today and have you deciding whether or not you sympathies with Leigh Anne. I didn't.

    All the cast in this film played their roles very well but for me Stephanie James, in the role of Leigh-Anne, stood out for me. Not because she was the lead character but due to the fact that for someone making her on-screen debut and performing so well, I feel that that takes a lot and I'm pretty sure this will not be the last we see of her.

    Overall I feel that this is a must see film for all ages of 15 and up, I felt that it should have had an 18 certificate, if not for its stance as a very good movie, but for it's importance.
    10pnwebster

    Brilliant movie

    Whoever stated this movie was the worst they had seen and was utter poo doesn't know much about movies and maybe the fact the characters are so racist touched a nerve with them. It is brilliant - much like 'Ladybird, Ladybird' and 'Secrets and Lies' with thought-provoking themes and a depth of study of prejudice and racism that we need to be aware of. Miscommunication, misunderstanding...you name it. Great acting and the accents generally good. Good script, good subject matter and something we all need to see in a multicultural society. It is in fact very realistic - anyone who has lived or worked in estates and community situations such as portrayed would agree. Only those with their heads buried in sand would rate the movie negatively. Great work - well done.

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Soundtracks
      From Here You Can Almost See The Sea
      Guitar/Vocals: David Gray

      Bass: Rob Malone

      Piano: Tim Bradshaw

      Percussion: Clune

      Programming: Iestyn Polson

      Produced by Gray/McClune/Polson

      P.C. 2004 iht Records Ltd.

      Written by David Gray

      Published by Chrysalis Music Ltd.

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 12, 2004 (United Kingdom)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Un modo de vida
    • Filming locations
      • Cardiff, Wales, UK(on location)
    • Production companies
      • AWOL Films Ltd.
      • Arts Council of Wales
      • ITV Cymru Wales
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

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    • Runtime
      • 1h 31m(91 min)
    • Color
      • Color

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