Random

10 August 2011

TX: Tuesday August 23rd, 10pm, Channel 4

A normal day.

A family routine.

A random act that changes them all.

Random marks the directorial debut for Channel 4 of acclaimed playwright Debbie Tucker Green.  A visually arresting film that stands as a piece of work in its own right, Random is an adaptation of her own stage play originally produced at the Royal Court Theatre.

Set over the course of one spring day, Random tells the story of an ordinary family on what starts out as an ordinary day whose lives are devastatingly interrupted by the impact of one random event.

The opening of the film captures the lively banter of a busy family household starting their morning.  Sister is not looking forward to the daily grind of her office job and Brother has overslept.  Mum is worried her grown up children haven't eaten breakfast before they leave the house and Dad is sleeping off his night shift.  Dynamically paced, it is a lively and intimate portrait of a family whose lives are shattered by the end of the day.

The film moves seamlessly between two worlds: the world of Sister, filmed in a stark studio setting where she presents her version of events, and the ‘real world' where Brother, Mum and Dad join Sister in their daily routines.

Reprising her role from the original stage production, Nadine Marshall (The Shadow Line, The Smoking Room) delivers a powerful performance as Sister.  As the narrator of the story, she physically embodies each of the family members, displaying an amazing range of characters and emotion. The supporting cast includes Daniel Kaluuya (Skins, Psychoville) as Brother, Jay Byrd as Mother and Louis Mahoney as Dad.

Alongside the performances, the film also uses a range of devices to tell its story, from text on screen to photographic stills and visual effects which, layered together, add to the impact of the narrative.

Debbie Tucker Green's previous plays include generations at the Young Vic, born bad at the Hampstead Theatre which won the Olivier Award for Most Promising Newcomer in 2004, and trade for the Royal Shakespeare Company.   

Debbie has also directed for radio, theatre and a short film, heat with Hillbilly Films.