Stephanie James, Gary Sheppeard, Nathan Jones
Known for reframing our views of Britain’s past in films such as Belle and A United Kingdom, A Way of Life sees writer-director Amma Asante bring a clarifying gaze to contemporary Wales.
A story about racism and marginalisation, Asante’s visceral, powerful debut is ripe for rediscovery in Brexit Britain. An underseen contribution to the lineage of British kitchen sink realism, it stars one of the genre’s finest performers, Brenda Blethyn (Secrets & Lies, Little Voice) and a rich cast of then-newcomers.
A Way of Life centres on teenage mother Leigh-Anne Williams (Stephanie James); her brother Gavin (Nathan Jones) and friends Robbie (Gary Sheppeard) and Stephen (Dean Wong). All of them function on the margins of society, and one day, their paranoia, boredom, frustration and anger form a lethal combination that sees Leigh-Anne’s Turkish Muslim neighbour, Hassan (Oliver Haden) becomes the target of pent-up anger and humiliation.
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