County Lines

A mother and son come of age in this uncompromising exposé of the evils that blight life on society's lower rungs. Around 10,000 British children are today ensnared in the practice of trafficking drugs to the country's outlying regions, and Henry Blake bases his debut on his work with these vulnerable young people. He pulls few punches in denouncing "entrepreneurs" such as Simon (Harris Dickinson), who exploit loners like 14-year-old Tyler (Conrad Khan). Disengaged at school and tired of babysitting his sister while his single mum (Ashley Madekwe) works nights, Tyler is easy prey for Simon. While Blake doesn't dwell on the family backstories, the plot does pivot around a flashback in which a counsellor chillingly defines what "acceptable loss" means to those running the drug racket. Utilising a measured naturalism and drawing fantastic performances from his cast, Blake delivers an excruciatingly raw drama that never flinches away from its, sadly, all-too-real horrors.