Not far enough
Daniel Nelson
The divide between Britons of African origin and those from the Caribbean is an old issue – though no less interesting and important for that – but Gone Too Far doesn’t bring much new to the debate.
Director Destiny Ekaragha’s feature is upfront and direct but it is neither quite funny enough nor nuanced enough, often falling back on stereotypes for easy laughs.
It’s based on a 2007 play by British playwright Bola Agbaje about a day in the lives of several young black people on a London council estate. Ekaragha is herself the third of six children born to Nigerian parents in south London, where she was brought up and still lives
Yemi, in the throes of teenage passion for a glamorous but shallow girl, is resentful about the arrival in his Peckham home of a brother from Nigeria, Ikudayisi, who he deems to be generally lacking in London street cred. After all, he’s wearing socks and sandals.
If you’re a racist who thinks all black people look the same, you might find the film novel. If you belong to one of the communities involved, you’ll have the undemanding pleasure of recognition. Maybe I’m being too harsh and am underrating the relevance and originality of the issues in mainstream culture, but it felt too easy and comfortable to be really interesting.
That said, it romps along at a good pace and has a high feel-good factor.
And as Bola Agbaje says on Twitter: "Yes why is there no character on tv called Bola, Tola, Sola, Fola, Lola we exist."
Image by Gone Too Far
Gone Too Far
