Starred Up
Directed by David Mackenzie
- drama
The story
19-year-old Eric, arrogant and ultra-violent, is prematurely transferred to the same adult prison facility as his estranged father. As his explosive temper quickly finds him enemies in both prison authorities and fellow inmates — and his already volatile relationship with his father is pushed past breaking point — Eric is approached by a volunteer psychotherapist, who runs an anger management group for prisoners. Torn between gang politics, prison corruption, and a glimmer of something better, Eric finds himself in a fight for his own life, unsure if his own father is there to protect him or join in punishing him.
What it’s like
Harsh fluorescent strip light, concrete corridors, and a grey-green palette that rarely warms, so Starred Up feels like it is shot inside a sealed box with no sky. David Mackenzie's camera stays close and handheld, often at shoulder height, following bodies down narrow walkways and into cramped cells, with the frame tight enough that every flinch and sweat-beaded brow registers. The sound design is mostly clanging doors, shouted instructions, echoing footsteps and the low hum of the building, with a restrained score that surfaces only at pressure points. The pacing is taut and lurching, with sudden eruptions of violence that are brief but brutal, including a few hard, bloody beatings and a sharp, unflinching knife moment; there is no sexual content, and the dread is constant more than gory. The emotional register is bleak, tense and occasionally tender, following a volatile young man as he slowly and reluctantly opens to a group therapy room and the possibility of a father who might be a threat or a shield. Best for viewers who want gritty British prison drama with raw performances, especially for a late-night, full-attention watch rather than anything soothing.
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