Zebra Crossing review

On a south London estate, four friends drink, steal and fight, their lives a whisker away from violence in writer/ director Sam Holland’s promising debut (it’s already scooped prizes at a number of indie film festivals).

Reaching for a British La Haine, perhaps, Holland had a hand in the film’s beautiful black and white images, and though his directorial ticks sometimes tip towards the pretentious, storming performances (particularly from Lee Turnbull as the embattled lead and Richard Pryal as a demented dealer) and the constant monochrome menace keep things real.

As a film it’s powerful if flawed; as a calling card it’s extremely impressive; and as a state-of-the-nation snapshot it’s, frankly, terrifying.