Bypass

Having impressed on his debut with the social realist restraint of Better Things (2008), writer/director Duane Hopkins veers into lamentable self-indulgence with this formulaic study of domestic boredom. The arty "Brit-crime" trappings are every bit as miscalculated as the melodramatic use of lens flare and slow motion. Yet, despite the fussily fidgety visuals, this still manages to pack an emotional punch, as twentysomething Tim (George MacKay) turns to crime to care for his rebellious younger sister (Lara Peake) and pregnant girlfriend (Charlotte Spencer). Indeed, Hopkins even manages to make convincing metaphorical use of the mysterious illness blighting Tim and just about gets away with contrasting his older brother (Benjamin Dilloway) and grandfather (Donald Sumpter) in positing a crisis in British masculinity. But, for all the doughty naturalism of the performances, the photography, editing and sound design, the film feels overly detached from the reality it is supposed to be conveying.