Born to Kill

  • 95'
  • United Kingdom
  • 2017

Nature vs nurture: Born to Kill asks this insolvable question through the study of Sam. He's a seemingly normal teenager, charming, vulnerable and well-meaning (he keeps company with elderly people at the hospital where his mother works as a nurse). But something’s very wrong, as Sam hides murderous tendencies. Is he inherently evil or a product of the troubled upbringing that flashbacks suggest?

Co-writer Tracey Malone had already dealt with real-life serial killer John Christie in the mini-series Rillington Place (2016). But Born to Kill is more unsettling, as we feel very close to this boy with dark impulses that clash with his own normal teenage angst. Actor Jack Rowan shines in this claustrophobic drama, shifting personalities in one single look and perfectly, ambiguously embodying the song by Magazine used here in the soundtrack: The Light Pours Out Of Me.
Season 1, episodes 1 and 2.

  • 95'
  • United Kingdom
  • 2017
Director
Bruce Goodison
Country of production
United Kingdom
Year
2017
Festival Edition
IFFR 2018
Length
95'
Medium
DCP
Language
English
Producer
Jake Lushington
Production Company
World Productions
Sales
BBC WorldWide
Screenplay
Tracey Malone, Kate Ashfield
Cinematography
Joel Devlin, Sam Care
Editor
Kim Gaster, John Richards
Production Design
Tim Dickel
Sound Design
Paul McFadden
Music
Pete Saville
Cast
Jack Rowan, Romola Garai, Lara Peake, Daniel Mays, Richard Coyle, Earl Cave, Sharon Small
Director
Bruce Goodison
Country of production
United Kingdom
Year
2017
Festival Edition
IFFR 2018
Length
95'
Medium
DCP
Language
English
Producer
Jake Lushington
Production Company
World Productions
Sales
BBC WorldWide
Screenplay
Tracey Malone, Kate Ashfield
Cinematography
Joel Devlin, Sam Care
Editor
Kim Gaster, John Richards
Production Design
Tim Dickel
Sound Design
Paul McFadden
Music
Pete Saville
Cast
Jack Rowan, Romola Garai, Lara Peake, Daniel Mays, Richard Coyle, Earl Cave, Sharon Small