COUNTY LINES (2020) FILM REVIEW

****

15, 90 Mins

Combines the news-worthy grit of a documentary with the poetics of immersive cinema.

A subtitle crops up at the end of ‘County Lines’ (2020) stating that “up to 10,000 children as young as 11 are involved in County Lines across the UK”. It’s referring to what the National Crime Agency describe as “where illegal drugs are transported from one area to another, often across police or local authority boundaries (although not exclusively), usually by children or vulnerable people who are coerced into it by gangs”.

The ‘County Line’ refers to the mobile phone line used to take orders of drugs and importing areas (where drugs are taken to) report increased levels of violence and weapons-related crimes as a consequence of this trend.

Writer-Director Henry Blake’s excellent debut feature - named after this horrific practice - attempts to shine light on the issue of county lines and the child deprivation, abuse and exploitation it involves. It’s the story of 14 year old Tyler (Conrad Khan) who lives in a grotty council flat in an unnamed city with his single mum Toni (Ashley Madekwe) and young sister Aliyah (Tabitha Milne-Price).

Tyler is a social outcast at school and spends his days either beaten up by bigger boys or having his concerned teachers calling his mum in and giving her a verbal bollocking on how she should raise her son. There’s a general assumption that mum doesn’t give a toss what happens to him.

Following a bullying incident at a local cafe, Tyler believes he has found solace in the bomber jacket-wearing Simon (Harris Dickinson looking a world away from his role in ‘Beach Rats’ (2017)). Simon acts like an older brother to Tyler; taking him for spins in his car and telling him that he should be “the man of the house”. 

However Tyler’s new friendship with this older boy sets him down a very dark track. Soon he is assisting Simon with smuggling packages (rather disgustingly kept in the backside of his underwear) on train journeys with just Simon’s promise that he will be safe.

‘County Lines’ really benefits from an outstanding central performance from Conrad Khan. Khan may be 20 years old and thus 6 years too old to play a 14 year old boy, but he perfects Tyler’s scrawny physique and gait with ease. He has something of the young Dai Bradley in ‘Kes’ (1969) about his littleness and skinniness.

Khan is ably backed up by strong work in the mother role from Ashley Madekwe. The relationship between Tyler and Toni is the beating heart of the film - so tender, so hostile, so motherly. Their chemistry kept me believing that this was a mother and son even in the most extreme moments of violence such as when Tyler headbutts his mum.

The movie’s most powerful scene is when Tyler is visited by a social worker who describes him as the “acceptable loss” of his “business”. The “acceptable loss” refers to a military euphemism used to describe casualties or destruction inflicted by the enemy that is considered minor or tolerable.

“Do you know what the acceptable loss of your business is?” asks the social worker. She responds before he can answer with “you”. Those words ring loud and clear for any child caught up in Britain’s brutal drug-trafficking business.

‘County Lines’ is clogged to the brim with beautiful locations that often contrast the amount of blood and brutality that is being spilt on screen. The juxtaposition of city skylines with jet blue lights and green countrysides is almost Dickensian especially when Tyler is left for dead on the moors following an acid attack and a brutal beating. Could easily have walked off the set of ‘Great Expectations’.

The soundtrack is similarly minimalist; flicking between moments of silence resembling the archive footage of a documentary with electric musical shots of Trent Reznor-ish synthesizers. These synths play at the most mundane moments such as when the camera follows Tyler walking down the street from behind or during a train journey when he looks out the window.

Perhaps the ending is a little melodramatic - as often becomes the case as the consequences of a life of crime take a toll on the life of the central character. But this is a powerful and striking debut that shines an unforgiving and thought-provoking light on a very real modern slavery story.

‘County Lines’ is on Curzon Home Cinema and BFI Player now.
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