Cubs

With a gang, you’re in or out – and if you’re on the outside looking in, it’s the loneliest place on earth. But what price membership?

A girl and a boy are kicking up their heels in the urban jungle, boredom is the order of the day – but there’s a promise of excitement. “He never picks us,” says the girl. “He will this time,” comes the reply.

And so it comes to pass that they are indeed ‘picked’ for what turns out to be a grim night spent on a hunt – I’ll leave writer and director Tom Harper to show you what for.

This is a claustrophobic film, with an intensity of raw emotion. Harper keeps the action pacey and his camera right at the thick of the action. Fitting in often seems like a good idea but sometimes it’s getting out that is hardest and Harper shows how decisions, such as gang joining can lead to barbarism.

There is also something else being said, not just about the nature of teenagers but about the nature of those of us who think hunting is a worthy sport.