Celebrating the physical beauty of Jim and the art of Caravaggio, Postcards From London is an overly mannered yet imaginative 196Os Soho-set narrative with more than a nod towards the films of Derek Jarman and Fassbinder’s Querelle.
A none too bright Jim (Harris Dickinson) escapes the claustrophobia of suburban Essex and finds himself in the company of young, cool escorts who add the art of conversation (and art history in particular) to their services. Mentored by David (Jonah Hauer-King), Jim soon finds himself in huge demand as a life model to contemporary artist Stuart (Stephen Boxer) and, in his fantasies, Caravaggio (Ben Cura).
A studio-bound feature, writer/director Steve McLean has created a pretty but ultimately vapid narrative. Bordering on pretentious, it’s saved (just) by its painterly, highly stylised visuals and the hip escort boys with their snappy dialogue/behaviour in the gloomy neon of Soho bars.
Rating: 46%
Director: Steve McLean (Postcards From America)
Writer: Steve McLean (Postcards From America)
Main cast: Harris Dickinson (Triangle of Sadness, Where the Crawdads Sing), Jonah Hauer-King (The Song of Names, The Little Mermaid), Leemore Marrett Jnr (My Brother the Devil, The Batman)
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