Description:
AKA has been favorably compared to The Talented Mr. Ripley, and for good reason. A fascinating drama about a young, working-class man's fraudulent claim to aristocracy and subsequent rise among the rich and privileged, AKA has a touch of the thriller about it. Matthew Leitch plays 18-year-old Dean, a handsome, beleaguered fellow abused in every conceivable way by a monstrous father and thwarted in his desire for higher education and a lucrative career. Sheltered and polished by a high-society arts matron, Lady Gryffon (Diana Quick), Dean eventually lands on his feet in Paris, gaining entrance to elite circles by pretending to b
AKA has been favorably compared to The Talented Mr. Ripley, and for good reason. A fascinating drama about a young, working-class man's fraudulent claim to aristocracy and subsequent rise among the rich and privileged, AKA has a touch of the thriller about it. Matthew Leitch plays 18-year-old Dean, a handsome, beleaguered fellow abused in every conceivable way by a monstrous father and thwarted in his desire for higher education and a lucrative career. Sheltered and polished by a high-society arts matron, Lady Gryffon (Diana Quick), Dean eventually lands on his feet in Paris, gaining entrance to elite circles by pretending to be Lady Gryffon's son and getting caught between the desire of two men. The smart script by writer-director Duncan Roy plays on the paradox of an ambiguous hero whose attractiveness to the rich and jaded is his emotional authenticity and natural frankness. Leitch's performance is mesmerizing, both cryptic and eerily honest. --Tom Keogh
Dean (Leitch) is trapped in a working class suburb with an abusive father and a doormat mother whose job at a tony London restaurant allows her to regale her son with stories of her famous customers. Dean runs away from home and gets a job at a posh gallery run by Lady Gryffoyn (Quick), who his mother had often waited on. Soon, Dean insinuates himself into the world of the sex, cocaine, and disco upper class set by presenting himself as lady Gryffoyn's son, funding his deceit with credit card fraud. But Dean eventually learns that reinventing oneself comes at a price.
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Manufacturer: Sundance Channel Home Entertainment
Release date: 13 September 2004
Number of discs: 1
UPC: 758445904529
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