Forgotten Man

Director: Arran Shearing

Country: UK

Running Time: 84′

European Premiere

Year: 2017

An actor meets a well-to-do American heiress on a night out. Falling head over heels in love, the feeling seems to be mutual, with only one problem: he performs for a theatre company that works with homeless people, with he himself having spent time living on the street. Shot in stylish black and white in Hackney, Dalston and Columbia Road, Arran Shearing’s debut feature is inspired by his experience working with actors from the theatre charity Cardboard Citizens, involving members of the company in the production, as well as securing a memorable cameo from Jerry Hall. An honest representation of economic divides, the real focus of Shearing’s film is human lives lived in contemporary London, and both the adventures and heartbreaks it can provide. The Forgotten Man of the title is inspired by My Man Godfrey, with this striking, thoughtful Cassavetes-esque drama, in the end, telling us that the show must go on.