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the audience applauded

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

A Major Disappointment

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Hessel Street is the setting for Robert Vas's film which is actually closer to the Free Cinema ideal than his previous film "Refuge England" had been. The film captures a typical day in the small Jewish community in the East End of London and we see the market, kosher butchers, the synagogue and so on. Only towards the end of the film do we learn for sure why the film is called what it (although it is not a surprise) as the models for the new high-rise buildings are revealed and the bulldozers roll in.The film avoids lecturing or having any sort of voice-over but instead just does a very good job of capturing the community spirit. The people are not developed into characters but the overwhelming impression is one of vibrancy and interaction on the streets, shops etc. The camera moves well around these areas and my only complaint was that the sound quality was not great – an understandable side effect of how it was made I suppose. This is contrasted well with the sterile models of the tower blocks and flats – an unfair comparison perhaps (real people versus models) but one that we know to be correct.Not a perfect film then as it does demonstrate the weaknesses of the Free Cinema films but is worth seeing for how natural it is and how it builds its point by merely looking rather than directing.