The End
Director: Nicola Collins
Year: 2008
Country: USA
Duration: 81 minutes
Web: www.theendthefilm.com
This absorbing documentary presents a series of vivid portraits of East London gangsters. Shot in stark black and white, the menace of the sharply dressed men is palpable. Coming from the same working class streets as the infamous Kray twins, in The End these men open up for the camera, describing lives often marked by terrifying brutality and casual violence. But there is more to these men than a simple shared history of crime or violence - they share a ferocious loyalty that bonds them together, a loyalty that is matched only by their absolute devotion to family and their dedication to the extended East End community.
Unlike most documentary filmmakers, first time director Collins is granted unique access to her subjects thanks to her own close familial link; her father is one of them. The result is a film that offers a compelling insight into the lives and crimes of the larger than life personalities that once dominated the British capital’s East End.
Awards
2008 Remi Award, Worldfest Houston
2008 Audience Choice Award Best Documentary, Jacksonville Film Festival
Australian Premiere