Chirphymium It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Voxitype Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Tayyab Torres Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

tohu777 The first reel of this film is very deceiving: you might well think that it's a kind of dramedy, a clichéd story of a do-gooder yuppie activist expanding his horizons and finding his humanity through an acquaintance with a very quirky homeless man. But it's absolutely nothing of the sort. To judge by interviews with BBC producers, the director, and writer Alexander Masters, the final film matches the intentions they had from the start, to make something that wasn't easy and which captured this man Stuart Shorter in all his complexity.Master's script is really compelling & tight. But it's the actors who drive the film: Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom Hardy together, more often than not in fairly tight sets merely talking. They were already both masters, back when this was filmed. Tom Hardy's role here bears a vague resemblance to his work in Nicolas Refn's film Bronson; though I'd say that this film is even bleaker and more harrowing than Refn's. The eruption of Stuart's pain and self- hate is shocking, and Hardy doesn't ever hold back. The performance compares well to that of Robin Williams' in The Fisher King. In both cases, the actor enters a state that shocks you into concern for them rather than sitting in admiration of a modulated performance. This is an incredibly bleak and brutal film, without the comfort of its having been a fiction.

n_helinski Stuart: A Life Backwards does not have much going for it to make it popular. It was a British TV movie based on a popular but not widely known book. However, the story has more than enough heart to overcome any production limitations on this film.The acting in this film is lead almost exclusively by Tom Hardy and Benedict Cumberbatch. It is hard to believe that these two were acting in such an unknown film at the time, as both have gone on to star in and gain critical acclaim for performances in "Inception" and "Star Trek: Into Darkness" respectively. Their performances here, however are at the very least equal if not far exceeding what they were able to accomplish in those film's.Tom Hardy is know for his ability to transform for a role; body, voice, mannerisms, etc. It is truly exceptional when an actor I know so well completely disappears into a role. There is no hint of the charming Eames, or intimidating Bane (except in one particular scene). His performance is outstanding and above all, believable, which is highly important for a role such as his.Benedict Cumberbatch's character is developed and changed by his relationship with Stuart, and he plays him with subtlety, allowing the viewer to focus on the character they ought to be paying attention to. He is a very relatable character, from his initial discomfort with Stuart to his total transformation by the end. The two together work perfectly, and are completely believable unlikely friends.The story itself offers a view into a part and a class of society that many of us tend to shy away from. Watching the film, we realize how many people we have seen like Stuart, but have been far too uncomfortable or caring to bother giving them our time. The film does not, as Alexander puts it "make excuses for Stuart", it simply displays his life as it happened, and we are left to make our choice on what "killed the boy he used to be".The production is very simple. There is rarely a close-up, and the cinematography is, to be honest, boring. But little more can be expected of a TV movie. However, as I said, the story and the characters are what make the film, and they are more than enough to give good reason to watch it.

nuttylou1980 This film is outstanding. Hardy has done a fantastic portrayal of stuart. This i know as my husband knew stuart shorter. The film is funny in places and warm hearted, but also very hard hitting. It made me cry because of how sad stuart was towards the end of his life. An alcohol drug addicted man who didn't see any real way out of his lifestyle. "convict curry" makes me laugh each time i watch it. I've lost count of how many times i have watched this film. I also have the book which is also a must have. This shows how two people from very very different backgrounds can become a huge part of each others life. And just how dark and sad somebody can become because of awful events in their life. Overall i love this film and if ever i did have the pleasure to meet mr tom hardy i would shake his hand and thank him for his superb work.

Afzal Shaikh As Mark Twain once said, 'Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction', and that is certainly the case in Stuart: A Life Backwards.A BBC Drama written by Alexander Masters, it is based on his acclaimed account of the real life of Stuart Shorter, a self-harming drug addict, career criminal (with a long history of violence), who is also homeless and suffers from muscular dystrophy.This film, made for BBC TV, directed by veteran filmmaker David Attwood, is a dramatisation which skillfully and sinuously reconstructs the events that culminated in Alexander Masters publishing Stuart's unconventional biography. In an early scene, Stuart provides Alexander with the insight into how to write his unconventional book, 'Do it backwards...Like a murder mystery...what murdered the boy I was?' So Alexander sets out in this mode, trying to piece together the depressing, shocking trajectory of Stuart's life. But, unexpected to both men, in the process Stuart and Alexander become part of each other's life, transgressing socio-cultural boundaries and evolving a genuine, if eccentric, friendship.This drama, unlike the majority of films based on extreme lives, does not simplify its subject, reducing its characters to two-dimensions eliciting cheap sentimentality. The characters in Stuart: A Life Backwards are not stripped of their complexities. Rather, they evince depth and subtlety. Stuart is not glamorised or victimised. He is vulgar, unfair, shockingly abusive, as well as sensitive, understanding and insightful. Nor is Masters made into a stock supporting character. He is at times the clear victim of middle class culture shock and has to fight his tendency to condescend. In short, they seem honest recreations of human beings.Tom Hardy engages as Stuart, giving a tough and intelligent performance, and recreates his character's extreme physical traits with little mannerism. Benedict Cumberbatch also rises to his own, different challenge as Stuart's friend and witness with understatement and subtlety.Stuart: A Life Backwards is a rare, droll, moving film that grows to understand the maddening complexity of life and subsequent near hopelessness in trying to find the factors behind someone's life. Instead, Stuart: A Life Backwards is a film about human diversity and the things we all share.