One Mile Away

Switch on any news channel and you'll be left with the impression that Britain is broken, in more ways than one. A stagnant economy, a growing divide between the rich and the poor and Saturday night TV which has never been worse. So, a documentary about Birmingham gangs may not seem like the most enjoyable or upbeat piece of cinema. Penny Woolcock's One Mile Away is, however, a powerful and strangely optimistic affair.

Little White Lies has compared Penny Woolcock to the towering figure of social film-making, Ken Loach. In many ways, this is an apt comparison and her latest documentary One Mile Away, highlights serious social problems which are prevalent in many of Britain's cities. The two gangs in Birmingham are the Johnson Crew (B6) and the Burger Bar Boys (B21) and their intense rivalry often results in stabbings and shootings which, to most, are mere headlines in the press. Separated and defined by their postcodes, the gangs' interactions are severely limited outside the flashpoint of a knife attack and reconciliation seems impossible. It is into this tense arena that Woolcock enters and perceptively constructs a film which is both intelligent and, often, rather shocking.

Her film focuses on repentant gangsters Flash (B21) and Shabba (B6) who attempt to initiate a dialogue between the two gangs and start the beginning of the end for the violence which has seen so many die. These two protagonists are a likeable driving force and guide the film and its exploration of issues which are portrayed with a startling realism and a genuine sense of consequence. Relationships with the police are poor and the film's protagonists articulate their anger through rap songs which are performed straight-to-camera – a novel and interesting technique. The summer riots of 2011 come as an unexpected – but not inexplicable – event in the documentary’s narrative and serve to highlight how the story and events which Woolcock is telling (and to some extent instigating) are not confined to the streets of Birmingham.

One Mile Away is a film driven by the passion of Flash and Shabba and their desire to see genuine change. Despite the 2011 riots offering a national perspective, the film was slightly weak on placing the issues in Birmingham in a wider context but with such dynamic protagonists, the focus rightly remained on the B21 and B6 gangs. Faced by barrier after barrier, the determination of Flash and Shabba was admirable and, it would seem, not effected for the camera. In the screening I was in, a Q&A after the film with the director and the protagonists was very emotionally-charged: the passion to develop links between the gangs and stamp out ill-feeling was clear to see.

As a piece of social film-making, One Mile Away can only be a force for good. With plans to show the documentary to schools and as many youth groups affected by its issues as possible, the film is a very telling and strong piece of work. It's not entirely objective but, then again, it doesn't want to be. Woolcock wants to drive change through educational programmes and through the medium of film. The importance of One Mile Away doesn't lie in the film itself: it is its impact in the future which will ultimately matter. Where we go from here is what matters and, with people like Woolcock, Shabba and Flash instrumenting change, the future is looking a bit brighter for the Johnsons and the Burgers.

One Mile Away has a limited UK release and will be screened on Channel 4 on 11^th April at 11.10pm

Clapperboard Rating: * * * *