DISCUSSION QUESTIONS - SOMERS TOWN
1. SOMERS TOWN is a neighborhood notoriously located at a crossroads. Discuss the relevance of setting this particular story in SOMERS TOWN. What other films can you think of in which a location plays such a prominent role?
2. Discuss the choice to shoot this film on black & white 16mm. How does this visual aesthetic affect the storytelling and depiction of the area?
3. Very little is revealed about Tomo and Marek’s pasts. Why do you think screenwriter Paul Fraser decided to leave this information out of the script?
4. Tomo and Marek share many similarities, but also many differences. Discuss these character traits. What do you think unites them as friends?
5. This film simultaneously explores the immigrant experience and coming-of-age. In what ways are these themes universal? Could this film take place in the United States: why or why not? If your answer is yes, what city or neighborhood do you see as an appropriate setting?
6. Director Shane Meadows is known for encouraging his actors to improvise within very long takes, often shooting straight through entire rolls of film. What are the advantages of this approach? Can you think of a few scenes in which improvisation is used effectively in SOMERS TOWN?
7. SOMERS TOWN was originally commissioned by the Eurostar Rail Company, and later grew to be an entirely autonomous film. Do you see traces of the original funding source? What do you think of this advertisement model for filmmaking?
Shane Meadows has been called the new voice of British cinema. What about his filmmaking style do you think resonates so broadly at this moment? What other British filmmakers can you think of that might have influenced Meadows?