My Feral Heart | A young man with Down's syndrome adjusts to a new life

By Jason Best
( What's on TV )
published

My Feral Heart Steven Brandon Will Rastall
(Image credit: © 2015 My Feral Heart Limited)

We're not so different.

Steven Brandon, a young actor with Down’s syndrome, delivers a captivating lead performance in the appealing British indie drama My Feral Heart. His stubbornly independent character, Luke, is forced to go into a care home following the death of his elderly mother but strikes up rewarding friendships with cheery carer Eve (Eastenders actress Shana Swash) and young groundskeeper Pete (Will Rastall).

Along the way, first-time director Jane Gull introduces a fable-like element to the story with Luke’s discovery in a nearby field of a mute, seemingly feral teenage girl (played by contortionist Pixie Le Knot). Even if this plot strand doesn’t entirely come off, the film remains touching and inspiring.

Certificate 12. Runtime 83 mins. Director Jane Gull

My Feral Heart available on DVD & Digital from Studio Soho Distribution.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVEaeSWUx9o

Jason Best
Jason Best

A film critic for over 25 years, Jason admits the job can occasionally be glamorous – sitting on a film festival jury in Portugal; hanging out with Baz Luhrmann at the Chateau Marmont; chatting with Sigourney Weaver about The Archers – but he mostly spends his time in darkened rooms watching films. He’s also written theatre and opera reviews, two guide books on Rome, and competed in a race for Yachting World, whose great wheeze it was to send a seasick film critic to write about his time on the ocean waves. But Jason is happiest on dry land with a classic screwball comedy or Hitchcock thriller.