After a night of drinks and fun, Nick (Ruaridh Mollica) wakes up next to his boyfriend Charlie (Joshua Griffin). Frantic, he tries to conceal his boyfriend from his homophobic and dysfunctional family.
We see a house party and an obviously uncomfortable Nick when the film opens. His boyfriend Charlie tries to loosen him up, and they end up back at Nick’s house. Nick tells Charlie he has to be gone by the morning, but when morning comes, Charlie is still there. Nick panics while he tries to figure out how to get Charlie out of the house without his parents noticing. The more Nick tries to get Charlie to leave, the more Charlie wants to stay. There’s a scene where Nick’s parents are arguing and Nick places his hands over his younger brother’s ears to muffle the sound of screams. Charlie then places his hands over Nick’s ears to do the same. Charlie is determined to be Nick’s safe place in a house full of chaos and pain.
Written and directed by Sean Lìonadh, the filmmaker chose a 4:3 ratio for the film to emphasize a sense of claustrophobia. Nick is stuck, packed tight in a situation that leaves little room to breathe.
Too Rough is a multi-layered picture that immerses the viewer into the life of its character, Nick. You don’t have to share Nick’s experience to discern the sentiment of his homelife as it emits through Mollica’s performance.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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