''Wait for Me'' is a 2023 United Kingdom-Irish co-production film, written by Bernard O'Toole and Directed by Keith Farrell, it stars

Karen Hassan Karen Hassan (born 31 July 1981) is a Northern Irish actress, born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. From 2010 until 2013 she played Lynsey Nolan in the main series of ''Hollyoaks''. Her other work includes the series ''Hollyoaks Later'', '' The Fal ...

, Aaron Chobham,

Sean McGinley Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Irish English, is a male given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name ''Yohanan'' (), Seán (anglicized as ''Shaun/ Shawn/ Shon'') and Séan (Ulster variant; angli ...

and Neil Bell. The film was released in theatres on 2 June 2023. The score was composed by Phil France, formerly of the

Cinematic Orchestra The Cinematic Orchestra is a British nu jazz and downtempo music group created in 1999 by Jason Swinscoe. The group is signed to independent record label Ninja Tune. The Cinematic Orchestra have produced four studio albums, ''Motion'' (1999), ...

Synopsis

Set in

Halifax, West Yorkshire Halifax () is a minster and market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. It is the commercial, cultural and administrative centre of the borough, and the headquarters of Calderdale Council. In the 15th cen ...

, the film tells the story of Alison, an Irish emigrant who has fallen into a life of prostitution and drug taking, but is looking for a way out. Her father Ged, who has been forced out of their home in Northern Ireland by paramilitaries (for which the reason is never specified), now lives under the protection of local crime boss Max. Ged convinces her to keep working as a sex worker. At the

brothel A brothel, bordello, ranch, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in sexual activity with prostitutes. However, for legal or cultural reasons, establishments often describe themselves as massage parlors, bars, strip clubs, body rub par ...

where she works, Alison meets Sam, a quiet, troubled photographer who has become indebted to Max and is now working as an odd job man for Max. A friendship develops between Sam and Alison. When Alison discovers that Max and his henchman Barry are trafficking young women into Yorkshire she decides to escape Halifax. Taking Sam with her she goes in search of her daughter Ruby, who is being raised by her sister Karen. Finding Karen and Ruby in

Cleethorpes Cleethorpes () is a seaside town on the estuary of the Humber in North East Lincolnshire, England with a population of 38,372 in 2020. It has been permanently occupied since the 6th century, with fishing as its original industry, then develo ...

, she tries to re-build her relationship with her sister and daughter. As Alison struggles with her addiction, Karen is worried that Alison will go back into prostitution. Max believes unsure why Alison has disappeared believes that Alison could expose his human trafficking operation. He sends Barry, a local thug to go in search of Alison. Initially, Barry is unable to track down Alison. Under presssure from Max, Ged reveals where Karen is living and Barry goes to Cleethorpes to bring Alison back to Halifax. Sam sacrifices himself to save Alison, Karen and Ruby by claiming that Alison has stolen his money and left the seaside resort. Barry kidnaps Sam and takes him back to Halifax. Alison returns to Halifax to rescue Sam and confronts confronts Max. In the process both her father Ged and Max are killed. In the last scene Alison is in prison and is visited by Karen and Ruby.

Cast

as Alison * Aaron Chobham as Sam *

as Ged * Neil Bell as Max *

Elva Trill Elva Trill () is an Irish actress and singer. She is known for ''Line of Duty'' (2012) and Starstruck (2021 TV series), ''Starstruck'' (2021). She is also one of the vocalists of the "indie four piece" band The City and Us. Early life Trill was ...

as Karen * Theo Ogundipe as Barry *

Rebecca Atkinson Rebecca Atkinson (born 22 September 1983) is an English actress, known for portraying Karen Maguire in '' Shameless'' from 2004 until 2013. Early life and education Atkinson studied theatre and dance at Preston College. Career Before her te ...

as Lisa

Release

The film premiered on 12 March 2023 at the Manchester International Film Festival in the UK where Keith Farrell won the Best Director award. An the back of the films success at Manchester,

Screen Daily ''Screen International'' is a British film magazine covering the international film business. It is published by Media Business Insight, a British B2B media company. The magazine is primarily aimed at those involved in the global film business. ...

announced that film had picked up a distribution deal in the UK. The film was released in UK and Irish cinemas on 2 June 2023.

Critical reception

Matt Looker from '' Total Film'' awarded the film three out of five stars and described the film as "a poignant – if slightly contrived – tale about determination, responsibility and facing your demons"." The People's Movies, gave the film four stars out of five and praised the "myriad of great performances" from the cast. While praising the performance of Aaron Cobham, " The Irish News" found the film a "grim grind" but with "decent performances to enjoy too". " The Guardian", awarded it two stars but praised Karen Hassan for her "terrific screen presence". The " RTÉ Guide" gave the film four stars describing it as a "very impressive feature debut."

References

External links

* {{IMDb title
Wait For Me Official Website
2023 drama films British drama films Irish drama films Films set in Yorkshire