The notion that monsters exist is not alien. Children question it, while science fiction and movies or series put them in our living room. But they were also created with the allegorical function of speaking about humanity in the third person: the evils that we carry with us, the deadly sins, a thousand names for our defects as people and society. Faced with a strange, cruel and sometimes terrifying world, “Somewhere boy” was born, the Channel 4 fiction that Filmin has just released exclusively in Spain, and which is already one of the series of the year.
In eight perfect chapters, just 25 minutes long, the producers of “The End of the F***ing World” narrate the life of young Danny (watch out for Lewis Gribben) who has spent his 18 years kidnapped in his home , believing that the outside world is full of monsters, a version held by his father Steve (Rory Keenan) after the death of his wife in a traffic accident. But the cage of logs and darkness in which Danny lives is broken by the death of his father, and new characters appear in his life, strangers in both directions. Aunt Sue then becomes a foster mother, accompanied by her new boyfriend and her two sons by her and Aaron (Samuel Bottomley), the eldest son from her previous marriage. The latter will be Danny’s witness and adventure companion in his rediscovering the world. Flashbacks with his father dancing to old turntable music and watching black and white classics on TV alternate with his new experiences with food, nature, pornography and love. The series treats this whole new world for Danny very delicately, especially thanks to the excellent role of Lewis Gribben. The actor physically and facially represents the awakening of his new awareness of the world with his sweet drinks and his bitter attacks. Everything in him speaks loudly of his innocence taken to the extreme but without being forced. Aaron and Danny then embark on a similar journey together: stepping out of a world of their own making and facing their own rebellion against everything they don’t like about their lives. In parallel, the imprisoned young man seeks his identity outside the old family home, with an environment that insists on calling his hero, his father, a liar and abuser. The young man identifies his first monster looking for the person responsible for his mother’s accident. But standing in the way of revenge is the friendship of his cousin, the love of his new family, the passion for a new relationship, and his blue eyes are finally opened to the truth of the world.
Pete Jackson, creator of the series, indicated in his presentation that the idea of ”kidnapping” came to him when he experienced a father and son moment with his: “I hopelessly began to think about those protected and safe worlds that we create for our children and how these get out of hand because they are incompatible with the complexities of the real world. What would happen if a father did everything possible to keep his son in a place that was too safe? ». When the barriers are turned outward, the monsters end up slipping through the gaps that are always in a safe environment. The best lesson from a father to his son is always given at the end, after his death, when we bring him back from oblivion and let him speak to us without interrupting him. There will always be monsters, but life provides you with the tools to live with them in peace. The series deserves a binge of eight episodes filled with smirks and big “ohhhs.”
