A heartbreakingly quiet performance by Chance Perdomo drives this BAFTA-winning single drama based on the real life of Jerome Rogers. Its 60-minute runtime uses mixed perspectives, sometimes following Jerome and sometimes from the bailiff, from his parents, or from others in crisis. What haunts me about this portrayal is how little Jerome is able to say. His struggle is internal, not laid bare in the script, not in dialogue. Perdomo manages to convey the weight of his burden through words unspoken, actions taken, or not taken. There's so much in the smile when he repays money borrowed from the family, or the placid look he gives the bailiff when leaving the house.
Craig Parkinson also appears as The Bailiff, flawless as ever, equal parts law abiding and oppressive [in my interpretation]. I was also surprised to see Tom Walker, known for his political correspondent satire as the character Jonathan Pie. Walker playes the role of radio Controller with such ease it feels like watching actual office footage.
The sad thing is that all of these characters surrounding Jerome:- his family; his employer; his bailiff, all seem to be normal people focused on what's in front of them. They're going about their business, they're not villains. His family most of all (bless them) are shown to care and repeatedly try to help, but are unable to... I can imagine myself in that situation many times over. And as the viewer the heartbreak is all the more apparent: the clock is ticking towards its inevitable conclusion.
I wish it didn't have to be like this. How did two £65 fines come to this? It's not right. But it's real.
A compelling drama as a documentation of real events. Would recommend to anyone interested in this experience and lucky enough to have not experienced it themselves. It's a question quite aside from the screen how a council can reasonably escalate £130 in fines to over £1,000, given in the circumstance it's only serving to crush the vulnerable. Meanwhile there are real consequences to a sub-economy of value-reducing aggressive debt collection and exploitative zero hour contracts (or the gig economy). Rest in peace, Jerome Rogers. And now, too, rest in peace Chance Perdomo. You've both left more than a few things behind.
Review by PrinceBlockedParent2024-04-02T20:16:25Z
A heartbreakingly quiet performance by Chance Perdomo drives this BAFTA-winning single drama based on the real life of Jerome Rogers. Its 60-minute runtime uses mixed perspectives, sometimes following Jerome and sometimes from the bailiff, from his parents, or from others in crisis. What haunts me about this portrayal is how little Jerome is able to say. His struggle is internal, not laid bare in the script, not in dialogue. Perdomo manages to convey the weight of his burden through words unspoken, actions taken, or not taken. There's so much in the smile when he repays money borrowed from the family, or the placid look he gives the bailiff when leaving the house.
Craig Parkinson also appears as The Bailiff, flawless as ever, equal parts law abiding and oppressive [in my interpretation]. I was also surprised to see Tom Walker, known for his political correspondent satire as the character Jonathan Pie. Walker playes the role of radio Controller with such ease it feels like watching actual office footage.
The sad thing is that all of these characters surrounding Jerome:- his family; his employer; his bailiff, all seem to be normal people focused on what's in front of them. They're going about their business, they're not villains. His family most of all (bless them) are shown to care and repeatedly try to help, but are unable to... I can imagine myself in that situation many times over. And as the viewer the heartbreak is all the more apparent: the clock is ticking towards its inevitable conclusion.
I wish it didn't have to be like this. How did two £65 fines come to this? It's not right. But it's real.
A compelling drama as a documentation of real events. Would recommend to anyone interested in this experience and lucky enough to have not experienced it themselves. It's a question quite aside from the screen how a council can reasonably escalate £130 in fines to over £1,000, given in the circumstance it's only serving to crush the vulnerable. Meanwhile there are real consequences to a sub-economy of value-reducing aggressive debt collection and exploitative zero hour contracts (or the gig economy). Rest in peace, Jerome Rogers. And now, too, rest in peace Chance Perdomo. You've both left more than a few things behind.