THE LOW DOWN

Director Jamie Thraves steps onto the scene with a clear fresh voice that translates into this hip yet heartfelt observation of a group of friends whose iives are all about to change. Frank is a restless young man in his late 20s whose life revolves around friends and work. He should have quit his job, changed his apartment and found a steady girl a long time ago, but he drifts in vagueness, unable to act. He works with Mike and John in a London shop where they manufacture jokey props for TV shows and magic acts. He lives in a grotty walk-up above a hairdresser's, next door to a crack house. You look at Frank and realize he's trembling inside until he meets Ruby (Kate Ashfietd), whose optimistic outlook on life affects him. This is raw cinema with a clever and contemplative core. The film won Best British Newcomer at the 2000 British Independent Film Awards. "The Low Down gets better the more attention you pay. To say 'nothing happens" is to be blind to everyday life, during which we wage titanic struggles with our programming."—Chicago Times

The Low Down screens with Jamie Thraves award winning short I Just Want to Kiss You.