Ruth Leon recommends…. Fathers in prison

Shook – Papatango
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Streaming June 25-30 £10 with access to for 48 hours after purchase

​From a very old play to a very new one. 

Shook by the very young Samuel Bailey (he’s 31 but looks 12) won the Paptango New Writing Prize, was nominated for seven OffWestEnd Awards and The Stage Debut Award for Best Writer, and was due to transfer to the West End. Then coronavirus hit.

Now it has been revived as a film by a BAFTA-winning filmmaker James Bobin. Inspired by true stories, Shook looks at three young offenders who are due to become fathers while incarcerated. As Cain, Riyad and Jonjo embark on parenting classes under the instruction of Grace, their different histories slowly emerge and their different futures take shape. Grace’s job is to turn these teenagers into parents, ready to take charge of their futures. But can they grow up quickly enough?  Funny and poignant, Shook examines the young people society shuts away.

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