Small Time Obsession review

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Granted, first-time writer-director Szkopiak breaks new ground by setting this grainy coming-of-ager in South London's Polish community. It's just a shame he loses the plot in a mess of gangsters and shock pregnancies.

Michael (King) finds his life complicated when his friend, Chris (Merrells), begins to work for a mobster. Upping the ante, Michael starts making whoopee with Chris's girlfriend, Ali (Caton). The newly pregnant Ali...

What unfolds is a story of growing pains torn between sub-Long Good Friday clichés and such homilies as "life's like a car". The cast struggle with the under-cooked script, lagging behind the over-egged plot. Szkopiak like-wise comes unstuck, confusing ambition with biting off more than he can chew.

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