SAY MY NAME

A review by Tanya Howard

When a one-night stand gets interrupted by a robbery, two complete strangers are forced to navigate the seedy underbelly of a sleepy Welsh isle in order to get back their stolen property.

Along the way, their opposing personalities and differing outlooks on life bring them to a boiling point. This independent romantic comedy invites viewers along on the duo’s night of unwanted self-discovery, that will have the couple either hating or loving each other by the morning.

The film, set on a coastal town in Southern Wales, starts in a budget looking hotel room where a couple are enjoying an enthusiastic round of sex. Although that enjoyment is cut short when Mary, played by Lisa Brenner, when she asks her partner “say my name”. Needless to say, Stanton, played by Nick Blood, gets it wrong, promptly killing the mood.

An argument ensues but is interrupted by the abrupt arrival of two armed burglars demanding they hand over their valuables. Mary is hesitant to hand over a necklace, which has sentimental value to her, but the robbers are obviously unsympathetic to this and demand she hands it over.

The burglars are clearly not experts at this and one of them, Kipper played by Celyn Jones, ends up being shot in the leg and has to be left in the room whilst his partner Dec, played by Mark Bonnar, leaves to get help. Mary bonds with Kipper so that she can catch him off guard and take his gun off him.

The plot is quite eccentric, and you have to suspend belief to an extent. From Kipper pretending to be Stanton and the burgled couple being arrested, to it turning out that Mary has a lot of secret identities and a colourful past.

It comes out that Mary used to be a nun, was an armed robber and a stripper, where her act was actually a stripping nun, and was adopted. It seems that the multiple identities and names come from a place of not knowing who she is due to the adoption, but her past has also shaped her to being sharp witted and adept in dealing with problematic situations.

Stanton in comparison gives off a sense of being lost in the world and has quite a pitiful demeanour. He got divorced but is still sleeping on his ex-wife’s sofa, despite her having met someone else, and is a poor piano tuner who is so clearly why out of his depth in the situation’s playing out on screen.

Whilst both characters seem extremely different, their personalities compliment each other, and the two actors portray a great chemistry. They both interpret their character in a way that keeps you interested despite the storyline being a bit implausible at times.

Say My Name has a lot of comedic elements and although I said it was unbelievable at times, there is a sense of intrigue that will keep you interested. I felt myself rooting for the characters, even one of the bad guys at one point, and so I would definitely recommend giving the film a watch.

SAY MY NAME is now available On Demand
iTunes: https://apple.co/374sXlF