A Review of Private Life

Private Life

Shot and edited like a period feature, this lively romance tells a tale set in 1952 Bradford, where Louis and Ruth (Liemman and Sawyer) swap clothes on their way to a night out on the town in their respective gender-bending bars. Both are raided by the cops; Louis ends up in jail and Ruth escapes into the night with her friend Maggie (Carpenter). The problem is that they’re wearing the wrong clothes. Robinson shows serious skill at telling a story, with sharp camera work and cool editing that plays nicely on the comedy and romantic longing, making a subtle statement without being remotely heavy handed about it. She also gets terrific performances from her cast, and recreates the ’50s on-screen superbly despite a limited budget. Definitely a filmmaker to watch.