Although I cannot claim to be the biggest fan of Tom Burke, I AM a big fan of Ruth Wilson. That is why I was keen to see True Things as soon as I heard about it, considering it sounded like an intense drama focusing on a heady physical connection between Burke and Wilson.
The story is quite simple. Wilson plays Kate, a young woman who works in a benefit office, with all of the stress and moments of abuse that can entail. She has been warned about her excessive amount of sick time, but her life seems to be unsuited to maintaining any sense of normality and order. One day, and in what would seem to be a clear breach of rules, Kate feels an instant attraction to a claimant named Blond (no other name is given for the character, played by Tom Burke) and it soon looks as if she has found the escape she clearly desires.
Adapting the book by Deborah Kay Davies, writers Molly Davies and Harry Wootliff (the latter also sitting in the director’s chair) deliver an engrossing character study that feels painfully believable throughout, yet also manages to avoid being so mired in realism that it turns boring.
A large part of that is due to the central performances. Wilson has never been less than great in anything I have seen her in, and this continues here. Her character is sad, lonely, sick, sometimes nasty as she lashes out defensively, and just desperate to have what so many other people have in their lives. As it looks increasingly likely that her best chance for that is happening, she also becomes more nervous and worried, diving into much deeper water before she is able to get back to the surface and properly breathe again. Burke is the polar opposite. Inconsiderate, confident, unconcerned by where others are at in their lives, but able to turn on a fleeting amount of charm that he knows will be enough to keep his current sexual partner happy to have his company. The character isn’t a million miles away from one or two others that Burke has played recently, and he portrays him with ease (with such ease, in fact, that he should be wary of being stuck with too many of these roles). Hayley Squires does well in her smaller role, playing the kind of good friend who will have fun when it’s the right time to have fun, but will also call out some problematic behaviour.
The style of the film is as you’d expect. This isn’t something you would expect to be full of montages and needle-drops. The camerawork is intimate, and also very rarely static (mimicking the constant agitation of Kate), and everything is done to keep things grounded and keep things focused on the performances. Wootliff knows how to soften the edges of the scenes that feature some raw just between our leads, without making them feel completely neutered, and she always does well in criss-crossing the strands of love and sex to juxtapose the reality (seen by viewers long before it is really seen by Kate) with the romanticised version of events.
While obviously not for those who are seeking out a bit of cinematic spectacle or simple thrills, both things I also enjoy (as you should already know), True Things is a satisfying journey alongside a fascinating character. You root for Kate to really open her eyes, to start doing the right things, for the sake of her own health, and you just hope that the final destination makes all of the turbulence worthwhile. I felt that it was. Others may disagree.
8/10
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