Last Resort is the type of small, character-driven film that will likely play the art-house circuit in a few major cities before vanishing altogether. That's a shame, because it serves as a reminder of what a good film should be. Having no big names attached to it, bereft of a huge marketing push, and devoid of gimmickry of any kind, it is minimalist filmmaking at its very best. It is a movie that has been stripped down to the elements of narrative and character, and it succeeds.

The film follows Tanya (Dina Korzun), a single mother from Moscow, as she and her young son, Artiom (Artiom Strelnikov), are emigrating to London to meet her British fiancé, Mark. Mark, however, never arrives to meet them, and they spend hours under the scrutiny of customs officials before Tanya, in a desperate attempt to remain in Britain, says that she's seeking political asylum. Her plan is to stall for time until she can contact Mark. The authorities ship her off to the abandoned seaside resort of Dreamland, which has been converted to a refugee camp. Desperate and broke, Tanya gets involved with the local pornographer (British porn king Lindsey Honey), and we watch what appears to be a slide towards rock-bottom.

Tanya finally calls Mark to learn that he will never show up and save her. But in purchasing a phone card to make the call she meets Alfie (Paddy Considine), the owner of the seaside arcade. Alfie, of course, has a romantic agenda in mind, and what results is a simple romantic story against a backdrop of perseverance and hope.

Last Resort is a movie that has a minimum of plot devices, but yet, speaks volumes about emotional and physical displacement. Director Pawel Pawlikowski gives Dreamland a desolate, foreboding air, using cool colors, washed-out lighting, and a sparseness of dialogue, sound and set design. It's a dead town. Korzun lets us truly feel Tanya's struggle, giving a nuanced performance and displaying a quiet dignity despite her character's desperation. We feel the increasing hopelessness that she feels.

Pawlikowski also keeps the audience guessing for most of the movie; instead of using the standard Hollywood romantic plot, in which Alfie and Tanya in each other's arms is an inevitability, Pawlikowski (who shares screenwriting credits) infuses so many variables into the plot that we're not quite sure where their relationship is going at all.

Last Resort is notable in that it realizes that life doesn't have neat endings, and that the relationships we have and decisions we make are stages, not conclusions, in that life. It's a point rarely made in mainstream films, and as the end credits roll in this film, you realize that you've seen something very close to the way real romance is. The honesty is both touching and refreshing.

Notes

LAST RESORT Directed by Pawel Pawlikowski; written by Rowan Joffe and Pawlikowski; produced by Ruth Caleb; produced by BBC Film UK; released by The Shooting Gallery Pictures. Running time: 73 minutes. This film is not rated. In theatres now.