Eleven: Written Magazine Review

‘ELEVEN’. The title says it all. What is the world like seen from an eleven-year-old boy’s point of view? In this case the eleven year old is Blake, a boy who watches the gradual break-up of his parents’ marriage. In eight short minutes we see the fractures occur until – at the end – his parents are apart, and Blake’s happy family life is in pieces.   The trick of the film is that we see all this almost entirely through Blake’s eyes.  In fact the piece could quite accurately be re-titled ’P.O.V.’  – because the ‘point of view’ is at the very heart of the story telling, and it allows us to truly enter the feelings of the young boy. 

The danger of ‘family dramas’ is that they can end up like ‘EastEnders’ with endless niggling families in drab living rooms, or couples combusting in overblown rows in the streets. But ‘Eleven’ is subtler, with the young boy gradually picking up clues about what is going on around him. It is also intensely cinematic, telling its story through images – often fleeting images caught out of the corner of the eye of the eleven-year-old lad at its heart. 

Burgess and Rabin, the writers and directors of ’Eleven’, were inspired by the recent film adaptation of Henry James ‘What Maisie Knew’, which depicts a young girl’s life dominated by her parents divorce. Their take on this situation has resulted in a warm and sympathetic short drama that surely has appeal to a wide demographic. The themes of childhood, family relationships and break-ups are explored tenderly and effectively. Director Rabin’s quirky style of long shots and POVs, writer Burgess’ sparing use of dialogue, and a score of subdued acoustic guitar and lone voice create a world that the audience can enter, and it has resulted in a bitter-sweet narrative that is full of feeling.

The performances are especially note-worthy. Alex Walker as the father has a curt charm, that makes him a complex character, close to his son, yet still capable of betraying his wife and walking out on his family. Oona Kirsh as Blakes’s vulnerable mother is totally believable as the wounded wife. But the casting triumph of the film is Blake.....(?) as the young lad at the heart of the story. He carries a lot of the film, with scrutinising close-ups focused on him much of the time. We wonder what he is thinking and feeling and it is this that draws us into the story more than anything else.   This little film is certainly a testament to the power of the close-up and the reaction shot. 

Despite their low budget, Burgess & Rabin have put together a very creditable film.  The subject of divorce is a tricky one for such young filmmakers, but they have met the challenge with a beautifully modulated story. Their visual style perhaps owes something to Wes Anderson, and it will be interesting to see what path they take in their next production. I look forward to their future collaborations, and would definitely recommend ‘ELEVEN’ to all audiences. Heart-breaking and tear-jerking its subtle yet powerful narrative is complimented with strong performances