Britain today is a multi-cultural and cosmopolitan place. It’s a haven for many and our population is made up of people from just about every nation of the world. There’s been a huge influx of migration from Commonwealth countries, many of who have come from the Indian Subcontinent. Whilst many have successfully set down roots and prospered, integration can sometimes be hampered by traditions and religion. Catch Me Daddy is a stark reminder of what can happen when outdated beliefs clash with the modern world.
Set in a small town on the edge of the Yorkshire Moors, a young couple live in a caravan park. Laila (Sameena Jabeen Ahmed) has run away from her Pakistani family to be with her boyfriend Aaron (Connor McCarron). Her family have been actively trying to track them down but the pair have managed to evade capture by moving to increasingly remote places. However, when the hired bounty hunters close-in, the lovers face an uncertain future.
Catch Me Daddy deserves credit for its ambition in terms of cinematography and the atmosphere of bleak otherworldliness it exudes. However, Daniel Wolfe’s début feature is a harrowing yet too frequently boring mess which, whilst having an important point, plays out in often incomprehensible scenes. There’s a clear attempt to be ‘arty’ without having a plot or script to back it up. The two leads are fine in fairly limited roles but the ‘chasing pack’ are nothing more than one-dimensional and vaguely comprehensible. Catch Me Daddy shows promise from a first-time director but ultimately feels like a failed experiment in imitation.
Catch Me Daddy is released on DVD, Blu-ray and Video on Demand by Studio Canal on Monday
