Catch Me Daddy (2015)

Very disappointing...

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

I watched 'Catch Me Daddy' as part of the Hull Independent Cinema Project. 'Catch Me Daddy' was filmed in Yorkshire and based in West Yorkshire, about a girl who was trying to escape the claws of her fathers cultural views.I enjoyed the film a lot because I was always questioning who the dad was, and you never fully understand the title until the end. A scene that stood out for me was when a rival gang, pretending to be 'frienemies', slit the throat of the rival gang member. I remember it because of the way it was directed. A shot of the guy being tackled in the car with a knife next to his neck, and then the long external shot of the car. The car rocked aggressively and you could hear shouting coming from within the car, and then a splat of blood cracked across window of the car from left to right in the motion that blood would of spat from his neck. The car stop shaking. You then saw the gang members haul the body out of the car and put it on the road. The car then ran over the body, 3 times, just to make sure the man was brown bread. The kill was handled in a mysterious manner and left a lot to the imagination of the viewers.It was important to me that the film was filmed in Yorkshire and had Yorkshire cast and crew. I think it is important to promote independent film but especially that from my home land. It gives me more opportunities in the future if the buzz for film and production in Yorkshire starts to grow.I would recommend 'Catch Me Daddy' to anyone who had an interest as it shows how some cultures can clash and what we shouldn't do to deal with this. I didn't like the fact that was it was stereotypical film and represented West-Yorkshire in a bad light, however that's just because i'm from Yorkshire and I know it has more to offer then gang crime and racial disputes. But that cannot take anything away from how beautiful the film was and how cleverly thought out the design and sound elements were. All the actors were impressive. I also enjoyed seeing Billy Elliot's dad in a totally different light, and accent.

The plot is fairly simple; Leila is on the run from her family, she is hiding in Yorkshire with her boyfriend Aaron. Her brother then rocks up into town with his crew of ne'er do wells and some hired hands who are also less than appealing.They are going to leave no stone unturned in their search for the seemingly errant Leila and as ever violence begets violence and so begins a deadly chase.Now this is a really good film; it has enough tension to make you wear the edge of your seat out. The characters are brutally realised and the acting is superb. It is visceral, taught and realistic. Made with help from Film 4 and Screen Yorkshire this is a film that has used that support wisely and given a platform to showcase some real talent. Sameena Jabeen Ahmed puts in a show stopping performance as Leila, the sometimes under rated Gary Lewis ('Outlander' and 'Filth') as Tony manages to shine – for all the right reasons - in a role that at first seemed peripheral. This will be a film that will not be liked by some and the way things pan out is surprising, but that is fine by me I like to be challenged by a plot. Director Daniel Wolfe, who co-wrote this, has made a feature length film that he should be proud of and hopefully will lead to us seeing more from him in the very near future.

'Catch Me Daddy' is a disturbingly charged and viscerally moving film with superb cinematography and timing which juxtaposes a stunning modern day Yorkshire Dales landscape with a alienated feel of tombstone... You almost expect tumbleweed to roll by at some point...The powerful symbolism and imagery draws you into hidden world full of hidden meanings yet it still manages to challenge viewers to think about the injustices portrayed, which are real in a modern world and the uncomfortable subjects of revenge, killing for honour and respect and lawlessness.The use of unknown actors in the lead roles is a genius move and really brings home the realism of the subject matter without sensationalising the issue of young girls and women being murdered for honour and respect.Directed by the Wolfe brothers and produced by EMU Films, two British collaborations (and not too British) are making a name for themselves and are the ones to watch in the near future.

The story, torn straight from the newspapers, is simple - a young Pakistani woman is on the run from her family. Sabeena Jabeen Ahmed, who plays Laila, the object of pursuit, is terrific in this role, delivering a thoroughly believable and moving portrayal, and her co-star, Connor McCarron is equally spot-on as a young man in love and in over his head.The achievements of the cast are matched by the excellence in direction; this is a film that keeps the viewer both involved and anxious. Between moments of sheer suspense and genuine menace there are snippets of beauty and, on occasion, the kind of incidental humour that is found in everyday life. All in all, this is an exceptional first feature film from the happily talented Wolfe Brothers