Rent Last Resort (2000)

3.7 of 5 from 116 ratings
1h 15min
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Synopsis:
Tanya (Dina Korzun), a vulnerable and naïve young Russian, arrives at Gatwick Airport to meet her English fiancé. But when he fails to show up, a distraught Tanya claims political asylum and finds herself virtually imprisoned in a nightmarish refugee holding centre in a lonely seaside resort. Desperate to escape, Tanya forges an unlikely alliance with amusement arcade manager Alfie (Paddy Considine), which soon develops into something more.
But is he just another man who will let her down, or will Tanya and Artiom finally break free? Pawel Pawlikowski’s critically acclaimed, award-winning film is an affecting and poetic love story, featuring hauntingly beautiful photography and sensitive naturalistic performances from an excellent cast.
Actors:
, , , , , Katie Drinkwater, , , , , Jim Trevellyan, Marcus Redwood, , Daniel Mobey
Directors:
Writers:
Rowan Joffe, Pawel Pawlikowski
Studio:
Artificial Eye Film Company Ltd.
Genres:
Drama
Collections:
New waves of Polish Cinema, Top 10 British Seaside Movies
BBFC:
Release Date:
30/07/2001
Run Time:
75 minutes
Languages:
English Dolby Digital 2.0
Subtitles:
None
DVD Regions:
Region 2
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 1.85:1
Colour:
Colour
Bonus:
  • Theatrical Trailer
  • Filmographies
  • Interactive Menu
  • Scene Selection

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Reviews (2) of Last Resort

There's a lot about this drama that rings true - Last Resort review by RP

Spoiler Alert
06/10/2015

Paddy Considine is one of my favourite Brit actors - and I keep coming across films of his that I wasn't aware of. This one is from 2000 - a BBC film so excellent production values - and Paddy certainly looks somewhat younger than he does today! The director is Oscar-winning Pawel Pawlikowski.

The film tells in quite a sparse way the experiences of a young Russian woman who flies into this country with her son - but her fiancé doesn't turn up at the airport to meet her. Questioned by immigration staff, she says she is a refugee. This is not a good move as she + son are immediately shipped off to an asylum-seekers dispersal area, and a dismal existence in a run-down flat in a tower black with no money (just vouchers), no job (she has no work permit), no contact with her 'fiancé' (because there's a single public call box and frankly he's not interested), no escape (constantly watched by CCTV and returned by police) and threatened with prison if she does abscond to London.

So far so grim. But she is befriended by Paddy Considine as the operator of an amusement arcade who helps her find her way round the system, fixes up the flat, plays with her son etc. Clearly he is hoping for more, but you'll have to watch the film to see how this plays out...

There is an offer of easy money working for a sleazy on-line porn operator and the film does indeed show something of a life of an asylum-seeker excluded from mainstream society. Clearly it's a drama but there's something about it that rings true.

[Aside: It was filmed in Margate (although the dialogue refers to 'Stonehaven'). I recognised the semi-derelict Dreamland amusement park, eventually compulsorily purchased after a court case, at last renovated and reopened in 2015 although I understand parts of it remain fire damaged]

Recommended. 4/5 stars.

4 out of 4 members found this review helpful.

Authentic and moving film. - Last Resort review by Steve

Spoiler Alert
23/09/2014

This low key and finely acted story of a Russian immigrant (Dina Korzun) and her son claiming asylum, their life in detention, and their relationship with a English arcade owner (Paddy Considine) was a sympathetic early reading of an ongoing controversy. Social realism in British cinema has clung on against the odds, and this is one of the better examples.

1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.

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