Written and directed by David Campion, Straight Through Crew follows a group of young adults from a rural village in the south of England as sparks fly when old flames cross paths.
With a sense that nothing exciting ever happens here, the group are constantly searching for something to entertain them – usually in the form of drink and drugs. As party-holic Aden (Charles Craddock) awakens from a night of heavy seshing, the crown jewel of parties lays ahead of him. It’s Christmas Eve. With the important job of sorting the drugs for the evening left to Jingle (James Douglas-Quarcoopome), Aden and Ritchie (Jason Rosato) mill about smoking until it’s time for the big night out. Elsewhere, Jamie (Jessica Pearce) is returning to the village from London to visit her parents for the holidays. She bumps into her old school friend, Deanna (Conchita Mbuyambo) who invites her to the party later on.
The night gets off to a bit of a rocky start for Aden and his friends as they neck cheap pints in a local dive. Similarly, Jamie has a tough time dealing with some jealousy from her old school mates as they resent the fact she was able to ‘fly the nest’. Despite their assumptions, Jamie isn’t exactly living the dream in London but is too embarrassed to tell anyone. When Jamie and Aden’s paths cross at the party, it becomes apparent they have a history together. Old feelings and past pain bubble to the surface, threatening to destabilise the party for everyone. Aden is feeling especially sorry for himself and begins a ketamine infused rager that sees him separated from the group.
While Jamie is having a heart to heart and revealing her true feelings about London, Aden is being force-fed more drugs by a group of threatening men. Despite everyone being slightly sick of Aden’s antics, the group all band together to find and rescue him. Upon stumbling out into the cold light of Christmas morning, the gang sit and reflect on life in a poignant culmination to the film.
Craddock and Pearce as Aden and Jamie both give first rate performances. Their interactions with the supporting cast flow very naturally as the dialogue has a tone of realism that fits the theme of the rest of the film. The smaller narratives that comprise the whole are engaging, especially Laura Hall’s character, Lisane, who is experiencing what it’s like to come out as bisexual in a small community. The film is very visually engaging too with the scenes where Aden is high standing out in terms of creativity. The cinematography and lighting are well considered throughout, keeping the more mundane elements of realism engaging and focused. Straight Through Crew resists what many films of this nature fall foul of – becoming impossibly introspective, self-reflecting and pretentious. Director David Campion never allows the narrative to stagnate, moving the various storylines on at an enjoyable pace. He also gives substance to his characters that make them feel more human. For example, Aden is not just a party-holic, but actually a young man troubled by his own mind – something that is captured in a dreamlike vision of himself trapped in a forest. Straight Through Crew reflects the anxieties of people in their early 20s and the drive to put off thinking about the future for as long as possible.
Watch the trailer below.