Heel – Review

Heel is a tough one to describe, and one that is best to watch as blind as possible. Details here will be light. As 19-year-old Tommy (Boon) runs amok on the streets of London, it is hard to see exactly why he is popular with his peers. While he may be conventionally attractive, his personality is absolutely disgusting. He focuses only on being ‘cool,’ making shit social media videos, getting drunk, abusing the weak, drugs, girls, fighting, and being the life of the party. Basically, he is a piece of shit, like many of us are while young. The streets need him!

After an insane night of getting shitfaced, pissing at the bus stop, screwing around with girls and frying his brain with all sorts of products, he stumbles along, walking in the middle of the street. He can barely function at this point, and then… something happens. When he next wakes up, he finds himself in a new situation entirely.

Meanwhile, Katrina (Frajczyk), who goes by Rina, interviews with a kind gentleman named Chris (Graham). She is looking to become a house cleaner, and seems to fit the bill. She heads to his large estate on the morning of her first day, having to take multiple buses to get out to the country and his remote home. Chris’ wife Kathryn (Riseborough) seems a bit depressed, and his young son Jonathan (Rakusen) struggles with some studies.

Rina finds herself in a home that requires a metal detector upon entry, and no phone usage. Odd… She is then asked to sign a confidentiality agreement. Uhhh… Rina needs the work, so thus far she is pressing forward. So, what happens when she finds Tommy locked up in the cellar? Chris says Tommy is just a bit sick, and they are going to make him better. No one will be harmed!!

With quite a criminal and oddball setup, it’s hard to know exactly where the story is headed. Some personal triumphs and growth are featured, all while an ominous backdrop of captivity is at the forefront. Heel strikes a strange balance of tension, horror and family sentiment. It is a bizarre story which unfolds naturally, and the longer it runs the more at home it feels. There is almost a hint of charm and morality, while all being masked by crime and deranged behaviors. Troubled youth is often an issue for many people, and some never grow out of their shitty childish habits.

Despite its odd brew, Heel is very competently done on all fronts. A good script is realized through excellent acting and solid direction. The runtime is short enough that it moves along without giving too the viewer much time to settle into any one emotion. It feels realistic, but it is not as quite chilling as the setup may suggest. That being said, it is a character study of a variety of behavior, and a societal reflection.

This film was also initially titled ‘Good Boy.’