Will (2011 film)

Will
Will
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Ellen Perry
Written by	Zack Anderson; Ellen Perry
Starring	Damian Lewis; Jane March; Bob Hoskins; Kristian Kiehling
Cinematography	Oliver Stapleton
Edited by	Derek Burgess; Lesley Walker
Music by	Nigel Clarke; Michael Csányi-Wills
Release date	4 November 2011;
Running time	98 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Budget	£8 million
Box office	£24 million (including DVD sales and direction)

Will is a 2011 British sports drama directed by Ellen Perry and starring Damian Lewis, Perry Eggleton and Bob Hoskins.

Plot

The film centres on the trials and tribulations in the lives of two main fictional characters: eleven-year-old Will Brennan and Bosnian footballer Alek, and their trek to see Liverpool play Milan in the 2005 Champions League Final at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul.

Brennan is Liverpool's number one fan, able to recite facts ad infinitum about the club. He attends and boards at a public school in the south of England since his father Gareth (Damian Lewis) is emotionally unable to care for him following the death of Will's mother. Gareth appears one day out of the blue with tickets for Liverpool's trip to the Champions League Final.

Unknown to Will, his father has health problems and suddenly dies. Will thinks that the adults in his life are conspiring to quash his wish to get to the match to honour his father. Two of his mates at school decided to start Will on his way for reason of their own.

The school reports Will missing, which becomes worldwide news. along the way, he encounters others who support Liverpool or the game of football. One of these is Alek, in Paris. The Bosnian man had stopped playing the sport following a tragic incident because of his actions in his hometown during the Bosnian War.

Alek is initially reluctant to get involved, but a friend encourages him to recover from his personal demons by helping Will reach his destination. The two are off on the final leg of the journey, stopping along the way in Alek's hometown, where they elude police.

They reach Istanbul but do not have tickets for the match. Liverpool stars Kenny Dalglish, Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher recognise Alek and come to the rescue, making it possible for Will to realise his dream. His experiences have been even larger than he could have imagined, given his father's original plans.^[1]^[2]

Partial cast

Damian Lewis as Gareth
Perry Eggleton as Will
Kieran Wallbanks as Simon
Brandon Robinson as Richie
Jane March as Sister Noell
Bob Hoskins as Davey
Kristian Kiehling as Alek
Alice Krige as Sister Carmel
Rebekah Staton as Nancy
Mark Dymond as Detective
Ralph Amoussou as Serge
Branko Tomović as Avdo Bilic
Canan Ergüder as Mina Bilic
Malcolm Storry as Finch
Neil Fitzmaurice as Fitzy
John May as Barney
Jamie Carragher as Himself
Steven Gerrard as Himself
Kenny Dalglish as Himself

Filming locations

The production filmed in Kent in May 2010 at the Port of Ramsgate, the Port of Dover and the White Cliffs of Dover. These locations are featured at the start of Will's journey to Istanbul. He smuggles onto a freight lorry in order to cross the sea to France.^[3]

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a score of 0% based on 5 critic reviews.^[4]

References

^ Will | UK Cinema Release Date
^ yumpu, "WILL Production Notes", A Strangeloves Films and Galata Fils Production 2011
^ "Will (2011)". Kent Film Office. 6 October 2011.
^ "Will - Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 1 April 2023.