Kelly + Victor
 | This article's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia. (January 2013) |
| Kelly + Victor | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Kieran Evans |
| Screenplay by | Kieran Evans |
| Story by | Niall Griffiths |
| Based on | Kelly + Victor by Niall Griffiths |
| Produced by | Janine Marmot |
| Starring | Antonia Campbell-Hughes Julian Morris |
| Cinematography | Piers McGrail |
| Edited by | Tony Kearns Nathan Nugent |
| Music by | Steve Fanagan |
Production companies | Hot Property Films Venom Films |
Release dates |
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Running time | 94 minutes[1] |
| Countries | United Kingdom Ireland |
| Language | English |
Kelly + Victor is a 2012 British romantic drama film written and directed by Kieran Evans from Niall Griffiths' novel of the same name. Starring Antonia Campbell-Hughes and Julian Morris, Kelly + Victor is the story of a young couple embarking on a passionate and transgressive love affair. The film won the BAFTA Award for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer in 2014.[2]
Plot
Kelly and Victor meet on the dance floor of a Liverpool nightclub, both of them on drugs. They quickly leave the club and return to Kelly's flat where they take more drugs and drink whiskey together. While they have sex, Kelly chokes and bites Victor for sexual gratification and admits to him in the morning that she got carried away.
Kelly's fetish is mirrored when she joins her dominatrix friend in whipping a masked male to earn some money, but she struggles to play the role of dominatrix and doesn't enjoy the experience. On a visit to her Mum's house, Kelly finds that her Mum has invited around her ex-boyfriend, who is clearly still infatuated with Kelly but is not allowed within three metres due to a restraining order.
Victor sets up another date with Kelly, telling her in the pub that he would do anything for her and that their relationship is something special. Later, Kelly ties Victor's hands while they have sex, chokes him and carves the phrase 'V + A' into his back using cut glass. Victor tells his friends and sister that he no longer wants to see Kelly but is clearly still preoccupied by her.
After returning from a party, Victor finds Kelly bleeding in the street after she has been attacked by her ex-boyfriend. He takes her to A&E and the two return home again together. Kelly again strangles Victor with a tie, him insisting that he will tap her when he's had enough. But Kelly gets carried away and doesn't notice that Victor is unable to tap her. He dies from asphyxiation, leaving Kelly distraught and listening to a CD mixtape that he made for her.
Production
The movie was shot almost entirely in Liverpool, with one sequence filmed in North Wales.[3][4]
Critical response
The film was largely, very well received. In reviewing the film, Sight + Sound magazine named Kieran Evans "the most exciting British filmmaker to emerge in the wake of Lynne Ramsay, Steve McQueen and Andrea Arnold".[5]
Cast
- Antonia Campbell-Hughes as Kelly
- Julian Morris as Victor
- William Ruane as Craig
- Stephen Walters as Gaz
- Claire Keelan as Victoria
- Mark Womack as Frank
- Michael Ryan as Pete Tucker [6]
References
- ^ "KELLY + VICTOR (18)". British Board of Film Classification. 25 July 2013. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
- ^ "Antonia tells of joy as latest movie picks up Bafta prize - Herald.ie". Herald.ie. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
- ^ Barlow, Eleanor (17 February 2014). "Director of Liverpool-set film Kelly + Victor celebrating after BAFTA success". liverpoolecho. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
- ^ "Kieran Evans - Esquire Weekly - Josh Josh Jones". Josh Josh Jones. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
- ^ "Kelly + Victor Review in Sight + Sound'". Retrieved 22 March 2014.
- ^ "Kelly + Victor 2012'". IMDb. Retrieved 5 September 2012.