Hello Carter

 

HELLO CARTER is in cinemas 5 December and on DVD & Digital 8 December

Hello Carter, is the debut feature of writer/director Anthony Wilcox, this independent London set production tells the tale of Carter (played by Charlie Cox) who wants to get back in touch with his ex-girlfriend Kelly (Annabelle Wallis), an American who he split up with sometime a year previously.  Carter attempts to get her phone number from various avenues, and as luck would have it he bumps into her brother Aaron (Paul Schneider) on the tube. 

However, a night out with each other leads to all sort of problematic situations involving illegitimate children, possible romantic connections with a receptionist at a job interview Jenny (Jodie Whitaker) and eventual realisation of the life's journey.

Filmed with a crispness and lightness of tone not often seen in London set films (lighness in contrast to the grey drabness of Carter's wardrobe and surroundings) which usually inhabit a gritty urban milieu, the spirit of this film is meant to be one of economic charm. From the genuine nature of Cox's Carter and his belief to get a job, to the winning combination of neat dialogue and the subtle injection of panache with Aaron into the fray - the film does not falter with its conviction of making a passable attempt at doing a one night in London nightmare film.

Influences on the film range from Martin Scorsese's After Hours to A Fish Called Wanda with the idiot American attempting to take centre stage.  Cox channels his best Hugh Grant from Four Weddings and a Funeral, a bumbling leading man who is beguiling and put upon yet comes out of it smiling. He is matched by Whitaker's Jenny, a tireless worker who may just be the person he is looking for.

However, it may well be Schneider who gets the plaudits as Aaron the B-list American actor who is all gruff and the sheer force of nature that forces the nights events to take hold.  Schneider a veteran of David Gordon Green films reminds us here of the talent he clearly has at his disposal, and his casting is a victory for Wilcox and his production team.

Yet for all this tale of impossible love together, the film is also about aspirations of the characters. Aspirations to be better than they are when we meet them; a better job, a better father, a better life in general.  The reason this film may well connect with audiences, in spite of the West London locale, is that like all good comedies before it in the vein of Wilder and Sturges, it shows us characters who have hope above all.  

Executive Produced by Michael Winterbottom, and produced by Julian Bird, the cinematography is by Andrew Dunn (The Perks of Being a Wallflower) whose crispness helps in the condensed running time and decisive nature of the film, in stark contrast to the unsure being of Carter.

Making the leap from short films to this his debut feature, Wilcox promises to be a talent to watch out for. One that has an ear for good dialogue and for the way life appears to his characters, his collaboration with his production crew is worth mentioning as a credit to getting good work out of tight constraints.

Hello Carter is out on limited release this Friday and to download from Monday from Revolution Films, it is a small gem of a movie that will be worth your attention; engaging, direct and proof that there is talent in the British independent film industry.

HELLO CARTER is in cinemas 5 December and on DVD & Digital 8 December