True Things
Harry Wootliff’s second feature stars the exemplary Ruth Wilson and Tom Burke in a tale of sexual obsession on the English coast.
Tom Burke and Ruth Wilson
Like its predecessor, 2018’s Only You, Harry Wootliff’s second feature is imperfect, but despite that it more than confirms her talent. An adaptation by Wootliff and Molly Davies of a novel by Deborah Kay Davies, True Things is a study of a relationship seen from the viewpoint of the film’s central figure, Kate (Ruth Wilson), who works in a benefits office in Ramsgate. The man concerned, Samuel, is a claimant whom she encounters there and this role is taken by Tom Burke. Both players give exemplary performances with Wilson never putting a foot wrong while Burke captures perfectly the man's rebel appeal, his sexual allure and the cockiness of somebody whose very manner is for those with eyes to see a warning that he is not reliable.
The title is an apt one for, in portraying this couple, the film seems to be absolutely truthful in addition to being nonjudgmental. Kate has a best friend, Alison (Hayley Squires,) who has settled down to a conventional life as a wife and mother, but Kate is presented as somebody bored with her job and keen to experience something that she cannot clearly define but which will take her out of her rut. Alison sensibly warns her against Samuel but we can see exactly why Kate falls for him – the fact that he has previously served a short prison sentence marks him out from Kate’s other acquaintances and may even add to his appeal. A sexual affair quickly develops and for Kate, hoping as she does that it will last, it becomes an obsession. As such, it is rendered with complete conviction.
Since this is Kate's story, Wootliff rightly makes her the focal point throughout but uses the Ramsgate location effectively. The screenplay is also adept in its treatment of Kate's parents (Frank McCusker and Elizabeth Rider) and of her grandmother (Ann Firbank) whose outlook regarding boyfriends reflects that of a past age and underlines the fact that Kate and Samuel live in a changed world where sex is concerned. The writing is similarly adept in avoiding cliché when Kate has a date with a man regarded by Alison as a suitable match for her: he proves to be entirely eligible but is put off by Kate drinking and then making sexual advances.
True Things is admirably edited by Tim Fulford and Wootliff knows how to use sound well, both natural sounds and music that sometimes reflects the naive romanticism of Kate’s dreams. Indeed, the film is so successful in its depiction of Kate’s obsession that it is all the more unexpected and all the more evident when the film seeks to express her eventual disillusionment with the same conviction but fails to do so. For this section of the film, the scene changes to Malaga where Kate joins Samuel who is there for his sister’s wedding. Until then Samuel is a clearly-drawn figure but at this point one questions his attitude and, while there is some subtlety in Kate finding her own vibe, her behaviour too lacks the total persuasiveness of the Ramsgate scenes. Indeed, a key final touch, one that echoes an earlier moment in the film and provides an ending that may make feminists (and others) cheer, is nevertheless undermined by the fact that it feels fictional in its neatness. That’s a pity for the intense reality of so much of this film is its strong point.
MANSEL STIMPSON
Cast: Ruth Wilson, Tom Burke, Hayley Squires, Elizabeth Rider, Frank McCusker, Ann Firbank, Tom Weston-Jones, Nathan Ampofo, Michael Moreland.
Dir Harry Wootliff, Pro Tristan Goligher, Ben Jackson, Ruth Wilson and Jude Law, Screenplay Harry Wootliff and Molly Davies from the novel True Things about Me by Deborah Kay Davies, Ph Ashley Connor, Pro Des Andy Drummond, Ed Tim Fulford, Music Alex Barabowski, Costumes Matthew Price.
BBC Films/BFI Films/Lady Lazarus Productions/Riff Raff UK/The Bureau-Picturehouse Entertainment.
102 mins. UK. 2021. UK Rel: 1 April 2022. Cert. 15.