Reflective Encounters

“Jess Dadds takes the tropes of British social realism, stuffs them into a sack and gives them all a thoroughly good kicking in a film that manages to be funny, clever and profound all within twelve minutes. While many of the standard tropes of the kitchen-sink realist film are out in full force – the troubled teenage protagonist, the council estate festooned with graffiti – Dadds uses surrealism and absurdity (such as the demon made up of shredded football shirts) to shift our focus away from these standards and force us to examine the world in a different way.

There’s humour and silliness here, but there’s also a genuine sense of empathy and earnestness as our lead character tries to deny the stereotypes they are expected to conform to whilst also battling mental health stigma. With use of 16mm, the film feels both a throwback and an excitingly fresh and vital take on current issues. Add in a wonderful performance of insouciant nervousness from our lead Harley Archer, and I Am Good at Karate is a film that consistently surprises and astounds.”

— Laurence Boyce