My Fault: London

A slow-burn love story wrapped in the trappings of luxury cars, neon lights and bad boy clichés, My Fault: London is a visually enticing and sensually stimulating film starring Asha Banks and Matthew Broome. It follows Noah, a not-so-ordinary Florida girl with a penchant for car racing, who moves to London with her mother in hopes of starting a new life. Enter Nick, the son of her stepfather William. He’s dark, mysterious, and absolutely rude to Noah from the moment they meet. As tensions rise between the two, danger lurks in the shadows of London’s racing scene, forcing Nick and Noah to rely on each other. The more time they spend together, the more they learn about each other, and the more they slowly and irrevocably fall for each other. Tangled in lies and a forbidden romance, Nick and Noah will face terror greater than petty underground fights and the consequences of their late-night city races.

One thing that will grip the audience from the very first scene is how grand the production is. The visuals are truly spectacular, with the city of London at the heart of the entire picture. Viewers will see through the brilliant choices of b-roll footage the beauty of London’s sparkling nightlife and city lights. However, the plot itself highlights more than just these scenic and mesmerising parts of the city; it also showcases the haunting grit of the UK capital’s streets and the people within. It’s very fitting that this adaptation of Mercedes Ron’s novel bears “London” in its title because it is not just an excellent backdrop for such a story – it’s also a character in and of itself. This is emphasised through excellent cinematography and a soundtrack that blends the world of the fast-paced and exhilarating rush of the metropolitan cityscape and racing sequences, with the delicate and intimate budding romance between Nick and Noah.

Speaking of which, My Fault: London works greatly due to the intoxicating chemistry between the two leads of Broome and Banks. Because of its extremely predictable and cliché script, the feature often risks losing the audience in its over-indulgence of familiar tropes such as the “not like other girls” take on its female protagonist, the hard exterior male lead with a softer side, forbidden step-sibling romance – to name but a few. My Fault: London might have easily fallen into the same dull and uninspiring trap of other works under this same young adult genre such as the After series, The Summer I Turned Pretty TV show, and The Kissing Booth. But Broome and Banks deliver strong and charismatic performances as individuals and are phenomenal as a pair. Broome shines in showcasing the duality in Nick’s character; it’s so easy to read through his little ticks and expressions of the constant battle within himself over his feelings for Noah and doing the right thing. Banks captures the selfish and unapologetic aspect of Noah’s character, balancing that with the anxiety and fear stemming from her father, and complementing that with the fragile beauty in her that has Nick so enraptured.

Balance in general is key to the success of Dani Girdwood and Charlotte Fassler’s film. The overly-indulgent script is broken up by the fast-paced environment and action of street racing. These sequences with the cars and the fight scenes are a stark contrast to the slow and intimate build-up of Nick and Noah’s relationship. There’s something cathartic in experiencing the high and thrill of the quick views of vehicles zooming in and out of the frame and the adrenaline-filled shots of fists hitting faces, only for the picture to slow down, giving space for Nick and Noah to immerse in each other. Striking that delicate equilibrium is what makes the slow-burn relationship such a worthwhile journey to follow.

My Fault: London in general is an exhilarating and intricate experience. It provides plenty of action without taking away from the beauty of the two characters’ blossoming relationship. Moreover, it’s visually and sonically intoxicating, and a testament to what a YA love story can look like in the hands of capable and passionate filmmakers.

Mae Trumata

My Fault: London is released on Prime Video on 13^th February 2025.

Watch the trailer for My Fault: London here: