Lynn + Lucy

If one thing is for sure about Lynn + Lucy, it’s that it packs a punch. British short filmmaker Fyzal Boulifa refuses to let up on his characters following the first quarter of an hour of seeming bliss, which is followed by 75 minutes of harrowing storytelling. Whilst he may not land every scene, motive or arrangement to the highest standard, there is worthiness and realness to this story that hits home with might.

Living in their hometown of Harlow, London, Lynn and Lucy, who are in their mid-twenties, have settled into family life with their respective partners. They have remained strong friends since school, living across the road from each other. But when tragedy strikes and many aspects of the past come back into their lives, their friendship is tested beyond measure.

Boulifa is unafraid to challenge the norm. The subject matter gets tough quickly as the realities of anger and abuse within a family home become clear. Whilst this isn’t anything new to the screen, Boulifa presents it in a captivating way and at no point will you sit there feeling bored.

However, the confused motives of certain characters, namely Lynn’s colleagues at the salon who switch from being kind to manipulative without any real incentive, is jarring. We feel the emotion, but not the motivation, and it adds a cheaper element to the plot that the rest of the film manages to avoid.

Both lead actresses, Roxanne Scrimshaw as Lynn and Nichola Burley as Lucy, deliver strong performances. Subtlety is cleverly executed despite the desperation of the two friends for acceptance and forgiveness respectively. The reactive community in which they both find themselves is volatile, unforgiving and inescapable. Boulifa gives us an understanding from the ground up, satisfied with lingering camera shots as we sit in the characters’ pain.

Whilst Lynn + Lucy might walk a wavering line of believability in places, the acting is strong, the story incredibly watchable and the emotion consistent.

Brady Clark

Lynn + Lucy is released digitally on demand on 2^nd July 2020.

Watch a clip from Lynn + Lucy here: