Diminutive Craig Roberts did a memorable turn in the BBC3 series Being Human. In Just Jim he stars as well as directing and writing the film.He plays lonely Welsh teenager Jim, who is a bit of a social outcast. Even his dog runs away from him. Then a mysterious American called Dean (Emile Hirsch) moves next door to him and Dean is modelled on a rebellious James Dean.He makes Jim look cool by giving him a kind of 50s American look. Jim's newly rebellious attitude lands him in trouble at school and it is left open ended if Dean is just a figment of an over- imaginative teenage brain.This is a slight coming of age story with a jagged tonal shift in the latter part of the film. It is a little bit weird and off kilter but really does not amount to much.

Jim is the most unpopular kid around, it's the 80's, his dog has run away, and he's the butt of all the jokes at School. When things seem utterly bleak his fortunes change when a vibrant, handsome, cool American Dean moves into the house next door, but are his offers of making Jim the popular kid well meant?I've become quite a fan of Craig Roberts, a truly talented, understated actor, who oozes charisma in a subtle way. Fair play to him for writing and directing this, what a talent. There are some cracking performances, Roberts apart, I thought Richard Harrington was great as the Headmaster, Emile Hirsch was charismatic as Dean, and I really enjoyed Mark Lewis's Jones performance as Donald.A truly underrated film which seems to belong in so many genres, it's dark, funny, sad, surreal, feel good, grim. I was impressed 8/10

I thought the Tories stopped funding for the arts? Either way, this film is balls. It seems left to the imagination whether the American actually moved into Jim's next door residence, or whether he was simply a figment of his imagination. His parents certainly saw him as real. Regardless, anyone who can relate to the protagonists in this film has serious personal issues. I guess its no less stylistic than a full-on Yank flick like Donnie Darko or other purely stylistic shite. Yeah, I sat back and was vaguely entertained, but seriously, this is hipster fodder/rubbish. Esoteric nonsense. If film making today is supposed to serve the film maker and not the audience, then consider it a job well done.

I was lucky enough to see this premier at SXSW but didn't have any background information around the film so really did not know what to expect. In many ways I was glad as I was immediately swept into a world that Craig had created and the impression of the film has stayed with me since.This is a hugely talented guy; writing, acting and directing a feature length film at the age of twenty-four.An immediate summary of the film is 'cult classic'. This is a film that needs to be seen and without a doubt will be pegged up with some of the best independent British movies made in this decade.I found out after the premier that Craig chose to film this movie in his home town, using locations that he grew up in, such as his school and local hangouts. This explained the deep level of authenticity the film exudes at pretty much every turn.As expected, Craig's performance is outstanding, as is Emile's. The juxtaposition of Dean (Emile), a flamboyant and worldly American, pitched against introverted and quiet Jim (Craig), and dropped into a quite Welsh town, works brilliantly and constantly engages you through the 'Wannabe' storyline.The other characters in the film develop quickly and you immediately gain an affinity to them. Some of them are only on screen for seconds, but you instantly gauge their purpose and they influence your thinking.The best way I can describe this film is to think: Dead Man's Shoes meets Fight Club.