A Delightful Little Strumpet

Strumpet

(Danny Boyle, 2001) 3.5 Stars

I’ve always been a big fan of Danny Boyle. His dark and bleak humour coupled with a gung-ho flair for directing has produced some of the best films of the last two decades; Trainspotting, Shallow Grave, 28 Days Later, etc… Indeed, such is my passion for his indie streak that I have not yet seen the mass-popular Slumdog Millionaire simply because I don’t like the idea of one of MY choice directors being an Academy favourite. But egotistic narrow-mindedness aside, I was delighted last week to have thrust into my hands a Japanese copy of Boyle’s 2001 BBC film Strumpet, a piece that I had previously not come across.

Boyle standard Christopher Ecclestone (Shallow Grave, 28 Days Later, and of course Doctor Who) stars as angry young dog-lover and poet “Strayman”, who, taking in any feral who should stumble across his path, reaches out to a young homeless girl who goes by “Strumpet”(Genna G). Upon discovering Strumpet’s unique talent for playing the guitar naked, Strayman finds his poetry coming to musical life, with Ecclestone giving his best Billy Bragg impression (were Billy Bragg in fact from Lancashire) as he bounces to the music, screaming lyricisms. In classic Boyle style, we are then taken on a rags to riches to rags again tale, satirising the greed and exploitation of the media industry, and their ability to soil even the rawest of talent.

From its opening sequence; Ecclestone giving a soul-wrenching rendition of Wilfred Owen’s "Chicken Town" to a group of pub locals, to a stirring finale of Strayman’s own “Let it out”, Boyle takes us on a typically grainy and bleak journey, introducing us once again to the dismal dregs of society and therein relishing. At only 72 minutes, this is perhaps one of Boyle’s shortest films, but nonetheless delivers just as much of a cerebral punch as any of his more well-known ventures. Though no Trainspotting by any means, Strumpet is still a great little film, and a great showcase for both Ecclestone and Boyle’s charmingly discordant talents.

“You’ve come from nowt, check it out, check it out”