Blackout (2013) - Film made for Channel 4

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This film was advertised as a type of documentary about how Britain would react to a week long blackout. Throughout the film there were facts displayed intermittently as inter-titles but other than that it comes across as a drama film. The premise of Blackout is that it looks like real footage caught on phones or video cameras, although is obviously acted and scripted, about several people and how the blackout affects them.

My favourite thing about this film was its guerilla style because it is very common nowadays to see such filming especially during interesting events like an extended blackout. The acting was good enough that you believed that they could be real people although some of the situations seemed slightly excessive, for instance one man and his wife kept arguing about different types of water which is a minor problem at any time.

A majority of the things that happen away from the main characters, such as rioting and thievery, are very realistic and can easily be imagined happening during a troubled time. The film makers obviously used footage from the London Riots in 2011 and also used the Prime Minster's words but kept them vague to make real footage appear to comply with this situation. I thought that this was clever and a good use of archives, rather than hiring an actor to play a Prime Minister or break the budget on sets that need to be destroyed.

The story was quite harrowing because a few of the people really struggle, mostly caused by other people being inconsiderate and selfish. This is the disturbing thing about the film because it reminds you that in when things go wrong there are thousands willing to take advantage. Personally I felt as though the message about how important the Nation Grid is to Britain was lost in a more political message about interpersonal relations within London and the fact that there can be a lack of decency. Some stories show people banding together to help each other while others show destruction caused by antisocial behaviour.

Overall I thought it was very interesting and compellingly put together. It certainly makes you appreciate the fact that we have electricity, running water, etc. and aware of how quickly society can crumble without the luxuries we have become so used to. Obviously some points were over-dramatised but it doesn't detract from the film as a whole.