From the cosiness of Porridge to the bare-knuckle ferocity of Scum, prison life on screen has always been based around the idea of surrogate fathers. Everybody wants to be the daddy and if you’re not, then you better hope that you’re one of his favoured sons. David MacKenzie’s prison drama Starred Up takes these family ties literally, reuniting an estranged father and son behind bars.
We meet Eric Love (Jack O’Connell) on the day he is being ‘starred up’ – moved from a young offenders facility into adult prison. Since he has been institutionalised from a young age, Eric is viewed as a high risk prisoner and dealt with roughly by prison guards, particularly the corrupt Governor Hayes (Sam Spruell). In the same wing is Neville Love (Ben Mendelsohn), Eric’s father. Neville is a lifer, convicted when Eric was a young boy and well-ensconsed in the hierarchy of the prison. The film follows their thwarted attempts to re-connect, while negotiating the violence of life inside and the attempts of therapist Oliver (Rupert Friend) to break their cycle of crime.
From the second Jack O’ Connell steps on screen there is a harsh authenticity to Starred Up. He has a swaggering, physical presence about him, an air of pent up aggression. When he is on his own in his cell, this mask drops and we can see his anxiety bubbling to the surface, yet the first thing he does is fashion a makeshift weapon from a broken toothbrush and a razor blade. We may begin to view Eric differently over time but there is never any doubt that he is very unpredictable and very frightening. O’Connell is brilliant in this complex, deeply physical role. He is matched by Mendelsohn, who also balances a dead eyed aggression with the confused guilt of a man suddenly faced with the prospect of being a father.
This is the first script from Jonathan Asser, who has worked in the prison system as a therapist. His experience is all there on the screen and he pulls no punches. The result is a ferocious film, at times difficult to watch but also extremely moving. The deeply committed performances from the cast is a tribute to director David Mackenzie who finds just the right tone and delivers a riveting, disturbing slice of prison drama.