Film Review - Catch Me Daddy (2015)

Genre:
Thriller
Distributor:
Studiocanal
Release Date:
27th February 2015 (UK)
Rating: 15
Running Time:
112 Minutes
Director:
Daniel Wolfe
Cast:
Sameena Jabeen Ahmed, Connor McCarron, Gary Lewis

Laila (Sameena Jabeen Ahmed) is on the run from her father, living in hiding on the outskirts of Sheffield with her boyfriend Aaron (Connor McCarron).  We see two white guys Tony (Gary Lewis, Filth, Not Another Happy Ending) and Barry (Barry Nunney) meet up with Laila’s brother Zaheer (Ali Ahmad) and his gang of mates.  The motley crew then set about tracking down Laila and Aaron, who are forced to flee for their lives as they are tracked through the night in an attempt to return Laila to her family.

There’s a few things done in the film for shock value, though I’m not really sure what they were there to achieve.  In one scene you rather unnecessarily see a baby chicken squished and fed to a bird of prey.  And in another scene where you see one of Laila’s trackers pee on his own hands, not wash them and then go to shake Zaheer’s hand.  The germophobe in me found this quite harrowing as you never see him wash his hands for the duration of the film, and a one point you see him eat a burger, all with his own pee hands.  Gross.

Sameena Jabeen Ahmed won the best newcomer award at the BFI London Film Festival for her portrayal of Laila.  This is justified and she is probably the best and most consistent thing in the film and is a sympathetic lead character.  The majority of the supporting cast are relative newcomers and do well in their roles, but it's veteran Gary Lewis who really stands out, as his character's journey is more developed.  

The film is presented in a way that you’re left to make your own conclusions about why Laila is in her predicament.  There is obviously some issue with Laila and Aaron’s inter-racial relationship, but apart from that there’s not really a lot explained in the film.  I’m not sure if this is a spoiler to admit this lack of clarity in the film, though maybe others will pick up more on the subtleties than I did!  One thing that really let the film down for me is that the Daddy in question when you finally meet him, is so erratic and his acting so unbelieveably bad and pantomime.  The film also ends in such an open-ended way which I felt was a little cliched.

Despite the lack of conclusion, it's an enjoyable film, a fast paced thriller and a better example of modern British independent cinema.

★★★

Alice Hubley