A Prayer Before Dawn, 2018.
Directed by Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire.
Starring Joe Cole, Vithaya Pansringarm, Somluck Kamsing, and Panya Yimmumpai.
SYNOPSIS:
Based on the true story of British drug-dealer/junkie/amateur boxer Billy Moore (Joe Cole), who was caught and sentenced to prison in Thailand where he has to fight to survive, and learn in Muay Thai boxing tournaments to earn his freedom.
In the press notes at the screening I attended the film’s director Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire frequently used the term ‘authenticity’ to describe the film’s production and aesthetic, detailing every facet from recruiting former Thai inmates to shooting at a deserted prison complex. This emphasis on the ‘real’ and the ‘genuine’ helps to fully realise the visceral subtext of Moore’s memoir. Thai prisons are bad!
Screenwriters Jonathan Hirschbein and Nick Saltrese omit Moore’s backstory and opt instead to throw the audience into the middle of Moore’s life; dealing drugs in dank Bangkok bar toilets, and shitting out the goods when Thai police raid his squalid apartment. No backstory is given, only the moment.
During our time we witness through tightly framed vignettes Moore’s struggle to earn his place within the corrupt prison hierarchy. We (and I mean the following to non-Thai speaking viewers out there) are positioned alongside the monolingual Brit, as, whenever the Thai characters speak, no subtitles are present, meaning we’re just as confused and tense as he is. We too rely on the characters intonations, body language, and context to understand, albeit haphazardly navigate, both the text and subtext of their motivation. It’s most effective during Moore’s early period, notably when a routine midnight trip to the bathroom quickly turns into the most horrific scene of the film.
The violence on display in Moore’s pre-boxing days is raw, animalistic, and barbaric, with everyone, including Moore, knowing that confrontation could be there last. Sauvaire hinges on the quasi-documentary composition to showcase these fights, and the short-edits to give these set-pieces a dream (or should I say nightmare)-like quality to them.
Cole transforms himself into the Billy Moore, to deliver a physically commanding performance. With prior smaller roles in The Green Room and The Falling Cole proves that he has the presence to lead a film. Beneath his stoic external appearance lies a fiery rage that erupts to give a depth to Moore. It’s more than a ‘lad’ beatin’ the shit outta some guys, but a frustrated heroin addict, surviving alone in a corrupt system.
Cole delivers a career-defining performance aided by a smart script and smarter direction. Many facets of this slow-burning prison thriller work. A visceral, violent, effective piece of cinema. There’s nothing quite like this.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Matthew Lee
