Okay, I watched this late the other night not expecting much but sometimes these low budget films deliver and I was so glad I watched it.Firstly Aidan Gillen (Game of Thrones) absolutely steals this film, his delivery of his character is acting gold! His character (again called Aiden) is one of life's lovable downtrodden people who refuse to give in and feel sorry for themselves, no matter what. Aiden sees the good in everyone and continually smiles at the daily difficulties that's thrown at him and you'll immediately warm to him, this is the immense power of his incredible acting abilities. The film shows Tom who has left his life behind cross paths with Aiden and how they sort of 'mend' each other.If you love a film that doesn't conform to the usual stories or just want a masterclass in character acting then this film is a total joy.Loved loved loved this little treasure.

Treacle Jr is an astounding film from writer / director Jamie Thraves. It tells the story of upstanding family man Tom (Tom Fisher) who walks out on his wife and young child in Birmingham and takes a train to London to begin a new life. It's an interesting exploration of what makes a person finally break - Tom can't handle the rat race anymore and walks away in a kind of neurotic trance. He's bordering on a breakdown. Once in London, he reflects on religion and tries to find answers to reconcile his actions. But most of the time he just wants peace and mental shelter from the life he has left behind. After an unfortunate incident in a park, Tom finds himself in A&E where he is befriended by Aidan (Aidan Gillen), a mentally backward Irishman who nevertheless is a sheer force of nature by his personality. He talks constantly, cannot sit still and seems to enjoy every minute of his life, even if he is being beaten up by foreign cafe owners or being punched and sworn at by Linda (Riann Steele) with whom he shares a flat. As the two men forge an unlikely friendship, their chemistry blossoms and rarely does a movie so effectively bond a partnership like this one. We've probably all been approached by the strange-man-at-the-bus-stop character like Aidan - a bit backward, machine gun chatty and irritably jolly, and, like Tom, we've probably all backed away and tried to shake them off. But we learn to see behind the obvious external barriers and Gillen's performance is utterly astonishing. Riotously funny and heartbreakingly naive in turns, its what pins the whole movie together, and the acute observations by Thraves of innocent people with their own personal problems getting swallowed up and spat out by a cold, cruel, vicious and callous world is riveting. Fisher plays his part with expert subtlety, and the strength of the script and direction is also apparent with Riann Steele's Linda - a street wise whore who mercilessly exploits Aidan's personality, there is more than a hint of the troubles she too has faced in life, to go some way to explaining the person she has become. The central theme around the three main characters is that circumstances dictate people's lives and shape them, and this is a masterly crafted piece of motion picture gold. Funny, warm and feelgood mixed with hard hitting, terrifying drama, Treacle Jr is highly recommended, with Gillen at the centre of three towering lead performances.

Treacle Jr. is a film about a single personality. The inexhaustible gregariousness of Aidan Gillen, who plays his namesake, is enough to carry the role and so the movie. His lovable, ham-fisted optimism eventually overcomes our resistance to his rather claustrophobic, manic volubility. Perhaps Aidan's like a socially marginalised version of Happy-Go-Lucky's Poppy.The first Mike Leigh film one brings to mind for comparison though is Naked. Here is another flight from the North, yet more eventful search for refuge on the streets of London. Only Tom is neither forced to flee, nor does he answer the itchy question, why?. This is because Tom isn't important. He's there to enable Aidan, to throw him into relief and catalyse his fluctuating fortunes. It's upon this drama's surface that Aidan's effervescent consciousness fizzes. It's also this narrow focus that leaves the film rather dry.Writer-director Jamie Thraves tells the story decently enough and works hand-in-glove with Gillen's portrait of Aidan. Yet Rhian Steele's lively Linda aside, the rest of the production is pretty average, from acting and shooting to editing. Admittedly, the film is an exemplar of pragmatism and economy, given that it was made for only £30,000. But too much was sacrificed or allowed to slide. There's no connection between Aidan's social awkwardness and the mute, middle-class breakdown that brings Tom and Aidan together; no exploration of that chink in Linda's manipulative street-facade. To make a very unfair comparison, this is a paddling pool of characterisation besides the reservoir of Michael Winterbottom's South London magnum opus Wonderland. A nice story but nothing more. 4/10

I sought Treacle Jr out at the London Film Festival, on the strength of The Low Down.What stands out is the intensity of the two lead performances. Gillen shows some very impressive range. Going 180 % from from playing the Mayor of Baltimore to a desperate and guileless character like this. While Tom Fisher plays off him very effectively as a credible and fairly sympathetic man, who is clearly out of his depth and dealing with major emotional problems of his own.The early scenes, where Tom tries to gently deflect Aiden's advances, without being unkind, came off as very well judged and authentic. Tom's growing connection to Aiden, which develops into instincts of protectiveness, was very believably handled and well paced.The film's low-key visual approach and use of gentle observational humour help carry it along smoothly. In summary, Treacle Jr is a very engaging watch if you like performance driven films.