An example of abuse in its lasting damage, the fear, and hate that embeds itself permanently like tattoos under the skin. The sadness swimming behind Hardy’s eyes even when he’s experiencing an episode or even laughing speaks a thousand words. Shorter is childlike for a very startlingly reason, and it’s this same reason that causes random violent outbursts that deem him an unrecognizable madman between the hours of 9:00 p.m.

At the very start, it’s easy to mistake the film for a comedy, from the sweet and silly dynamic between Masters (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Shorter and the innocent way Shorter seems to look at certain things. It’s not a happy film, not by a long mile shot, but it has humor. Told backwards from childhood to adulthood, as Shorter requested, it retells the tragic life of a violently unstable alcoholic living on the streets by looking back and discovering what brought him to such a low state. Simply the Best: Adapted from the book of the same name by Alexander Masters, based on the true life of Masters’ friend, Stuart Clive Shorter. Those just the top layers because underneath it all is a monster of self-hatred and an anger Stuart refers to as his “dark mist.” Behind Stuart’s kind person but unpredictable mind is a lifetime’s worth of abuse and pain. Original Release Date: First aired on BBC and HBO on September 23, 2007Ĭritical Reception: Rave reviews from critics who gave much praise to Tom Hardy for making an unforgettable character transformation. He was nominated at the BAFTA awards for Best Actor.Ībout the Role: Hardy gives the performance of a lifetime as Stuart Shorter, a walking car wreck of a man that’s both an alcoholic and a drug addict, who’s severely unstable with a borderline personality disorder, has facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy, and on top of all that is homeless.

Alexander masters benedict cumberbatch