County Lines

A bleak depiction of the perils of being a young person in the UK today. Sadly very believable and relevant.

A grim, depressing wail of anguish - beautifully crafted by Blake, and studded with impeccable, convincingly naturalistic performances, especially Khan and Madekwe who capture a contentious mother-son dynamic that corrodes further due to addiction on all fronts. A lack of moralising in favour of simple, direct storytelling is a plus, however the characters lack a certain depth and complexity, keeping the audience at a perhaps deliberate distance but resulting in a muted emotional impact.