"“A tense and emotionally distressing debut feature...”"

Within a mere matter of moments – and before we even hear our lead character speak – Rob Brown's carefully crafted character Jumah (Roger Nsengiyumva) head-butts a fellow classmate for no apparent reason, setting the precedence for Sixteen - a tense and emotionally distressing debut feature, that provokes a confliction of senses amongst the viewer.

Originally born in Congo, Jumah now lives with his adoptive mother Laura (Rachael Stirling) in London, desperately wanting to escape from a past whereby he was raised as a child soldier. Though unable to shake his aggressive tendencies (hence the head-butt), his life seems to be moving in the right direction, as he begins a relationship with his sweet classmate Chloe (Rosie Day). However he soon finds himself unwittingly caught up in a murder case, when he witnesses another of his classmates (Fady Elsayed) stabbing an elderly man, and the killer will do whatever he can to ensure Jumah doesn't run to the police.

Brown captures that indestructible feeling you have at 16 years of age, and it's this very naivety that makes this such an affecting and gracious piece of cinema, showing off these youngsters for who they really are, playing on their handheld games consoles when hanging out socially. This only seeks in enhancing the impact of the severity of the crime witnessed, and how they shouldn't be caught up in such a predicament. Meanwhile, London remains a very subtle setting to this film, and aside from a mere glimpse at the District Line, you wouldn't be blamed for not knowing where this film takes place, as Brown thankfully avoids any needless tourist shots of Big Ben that we so often see blighting this type of production.

Jumah struggles to fit into English culture and his new school, symbolic in how he gets into hairdressing; a vocation mostly made up of women, where he too feels out of place. He's a somewhat tragic character, seemingly on a self-destruct mission. Inside you know he means well though, making for such an endearing protagonist, as we care greatly for his well-being. It's credit to both Brown and Nsengiyumva that this is the case, because Jumah is a greatly flawed character, and one who struggles to control his temper on occasion. Another strong performance comes from Sam Spruell, playing an intimidating villain with great sincerity and intensity.

Set over a mere handful of days, the character development is astonishingly substantial, making for a riveting and compelling watch, in what a hugely emotional and multilayered piece, and one that continues to mark the continual rise of pensive and artistic British films, on a growing list consisting of Shell, and Mister John. Dealing with broad, severe and potentially melodramatic themes with an effective sense of subtlety, Sixteen is an intimate portrait of one young man discovering the world, and a fine directorial achievement in making this narrative so small-scaled and naturalistic. A hugely promising debut.