Made in 2017 and released in 2018 via the festival circuit, Some Girls Wander is an ode to all those “lost and broken” occupants of planet Earth by Geoff Woodbridge. Starring Jade Mark (Dandilicious, Last Day of Summer and Greener Pastures) and Keith Parr as Ken, the film chronicles the meeting and bonding of two disparate souls who find themselves on the streets of Liverpool.
In the beginning these two strangers have nothing in common apart from their social predicament. They start a dialogue that moves along in fits and starts until, at last, No (Mark) learns about Ken’s past. Filmed in black and white Some Girls Wander offers a bleak look at Liverpool and it manages to pull off a pretty clever parlour trick.
The film is a long and varied word-fest. Dialogue heavy with minimal action it offers a languid pace that feels like a good fit to the story. Despite feeling that this would have made one hell of a stage play, the film works well in this “format.” No’s compulsive nail biting, Ken’s rambling, yet spot on, recitation of 1970’s films, (although he does come screaming into the “present” with a nod to Tarentino’s Kill Bill films) and the odd reference to early British telly, The Sweeney, and a “Bum Fight” all work to give this tale depth and a touch, at times, of humorous pathos.
There is much to love about this film. Even if one is not from England, or lived there for far too many years, the setting and the dialogue evokes a sense of nostalgic yearning that goes beyond the odd glimpse of “Marks and Sparks” and the omnipresent seagulls and pigeons. The language is Liverpudlian, “bevvies” not withstanding, and the Jimmy Nail reference is brilliant.
What the film does best, albeit somewhat obliquely, is to show us a slice of life in a park in Liverpool. While we learn of the two very different backstories of these characters we are treated to the odd intrusion of real people in the park. St John’s Gardens, where the vast majority of the film takes place, has a number of bystanders who, in typical English fashion, merely ignore the action and carry on reading, feed the pigeons or wander by as these two interact.
Geoff does relate, however, that there were those who did interrupt proceedings. The police and real-life homeless population both came in contact with the film crew but these are not part of the story, just an interesting antidote.
Some Girls Wander (Some Men Leave) makes an effort to show us that the homeless are people at the end of the day. Their stories are varied and a combination of the tragic and the misunderstood. It is commendable that the filmmaker has taken time to show us the normalcy of the flotsam and jetsam of the world and how easy it is to relate. Even if that relation is in the terms of the films that Ken so loves.
Mark gives a splendid performance and manages to convince as the youngster finding her feet on the street. This is an actor to keep an eye on as she almost effortlessly filled the shoes of her character. The late Keith Parr (sadly the gentleman passed on before the film’s first screening) does an excellent job portraying the multifaceted Ken. Both actors did a brilliant job interacting with one another and pulled off a believable double act that never feels forced.
The music fits like a glove and moves things along nicely. Like the cinematography and the writing it allows things to move into view with a minimum of muss and fuss. It accents the story rather well, despite the odd times it overpowers the proceedings.
This offering earns an easy four out of five stars. It is a tad too long, rambling on a bit in the middle, but, in terms of characterization and storyline, the film makes up for its meandering style of presentation. There are small irritating things about the film, such as continuity errors and a few places where the sound drowns out the actors but these things do not spoil the story.
Some Girls Wander feels like a real labour of love and we have fallen in love with the story itself and the filmmakers who put the whole thing together. Definitely worth a look this one.
Mikes Film Talk 
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