A Way of Life
Movie · Drama

"A Way of Life" is a teenage tragedy which offers a chilling insight into racism whilst connecting us with the lives of five children struggling to cling to their dreams. The film centres around teenage mother, Leigh-Anne Williams (Stephanie James) and her three friends: Robbie (Gary Sheppeard), a seventeen year old, determined to move beyond his dead-end community; Gavin (Nathan Jones), a seventeen year old, desperately chasing love; and Stephen (Dean Wong), a fifteen year old, yearning  for a Welsh identity. All of them operate along the margins of society… until one day, paranoia, boredom, frustration and anger form a lethal combination. When her baby girl’s future appears threatened, Leigh-Anne’s Turkish Muslim neighbour (Oliver Haden), becomes the target of her pent up anger and humiliation. A ferocious murder takes place which is seemingly driven by racial hatred, and in a moment, the four teenagers seal their fate. This is a touching story of a young mother and her child, of teenage romance and friendship, which draws you in slowly, until you find yourself in a world of poverty, love, tenderness and hurt.

2004 · 1h 30m
  • 86%
Starring Stephanie James, Nathan Jones, Gary Sheppeard
Director Amma Asante

Related

  • The End We Start From
  • The Arbor
  • Dirty God
  • This Is England
  • A Banquet
  • Under the Skin
  • Boy A
  • Meantime
  • A Thousand and One

Cast & Crew

  • S‌J
    Stephanie James
    Leigh-Anne Williams
  • Nathan Jones
    Gavin Williams
  • G‌S
    Gary Sheppeard
    Robbie Matthews
  • D‌W
    Dean Wong
    Stephen Rajan
  • S‌G
    Sara Gregory
    Julie Osman
  • Brenda Blethyn
    Annette
  • Amma Asante
    Director
  • Charlie Hanson
    Producer
  • P‌C
    Patrick Cassavetti
    Producer
  • P‌E
    Peter Edwards
    Producer
  • Paul Trijbits
    Producer

About

A Way of Life

Drama

"A Way of Life" is a teenage tragedy which offers a chilling insight into racism whilst connecting us with the lives of five children struggling to cling to their dreams. The film centres around teenage mother, Leigh-Anne Williams (Stephanie James) and her three friends: Robbie (Gary Sheppeard), a seventeen year old, determined to move beyond his dead-end community; Gavin (Nathan Jones), a seventeen year old, desperately chasing love; and Stephen (Dean Wong), a fifteen year old, yearning  for a Welsh identity. All of them operate along the margins of society… until one day, paranoia, boredom, frustration and anger form a lethal combination. When her baby girl’s future appears threatened, Leigh-Anne’s Turkish Muslim neighbour (Oliver Haden), becomes the target of her pent up anger and humiliation. A ferocious murder takes place which is seemingly driven by racial hatred, and in a moment, the four teenagers seal their fate. This is a touching story of a young mother and her child, of teenage romance and friendship, which draws you in slowly, until you find yourself in a world of poverty, love, tenderness and hurt.

86%

TOMATOMETER
Average 6.7
Reviews 7
Fresh 6
Rotten 1

Information

Studio
FilmRise
Released
2004
Run Time
1 hr 30 min
Rated
NR
Region of Origin
United Kingdom

Languages

Original Audio
English
Audio

English (United States) (AD, AAC)

Subtitles

English (United States) (CC, SDH)

Accessibility

Closed captions (CC) refer to subtitles in the available language with the addition of relevant non-dialogue information.
Audio descriptions (AD) refer to a narration track describing what is happening on screen, to provide context for those who are blind or have low vision.
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Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

  • Armenia
  • Azerbaijan
  • Bahrain
  • Botswana
  • Brunei Darussalam
  • Cape Verde
  • Egypt
  • Eswatini
  • Gambia
  • Ghana
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • India
  • Israel
  • Jordan
  • Lebanon
  • Mauritius
  • Mozambique
  • Namibia
  • Niger (English)
  • Oman
  • Qatar
  • Saudi Arabia
  • South Africa
  • Sri Lanka
  • Tajikistan
  • Turkmenistan
  • Uganda
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Zimbabwe

Asia Pacific

  • Australia
  • Cambodia
  • Fiji
  • 香港 (廣東話–繁體)
  • Indonesia (English)
  • 日本
  • Lao People's Democratic Republic
  • 澳門 (廣東話–繁體)
  • Malaysia (English)
  • Micronesia, Federated States of
  • Mongolia
  • New Zealand
  • Philippines
  • Singapore
  • 대한민국
  • 台灣
  • Thailand
  • Turkmenistan
  • Vietnam

Europe

  • Armenia
  • Österreich
  • Belarus
  • Belgium
  • Bulgaria
  • Cyprus
  • Czechia
  • Denmark
  • Estonia
  • Finland
  • France (Français)
  • Deutschland
  • Greece
  • Hungary
  • Ireland
  • Italia
  • Latvia
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg (English)
  • Malta
  • Moldova, Republic Of
  • Nederland
  • Norway
  • Poland
  • Portugal (Português)
  • Россия
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
  • España
  • Sverige
  • Schweiz
  • Türkiye (English)
  • Ukraine
  • United Kingdom

Latin America and the Caribbean

  • Anguilla
  • Antigua and Barbuda
  • Argentina (Español)
  • Bahamas
  • Belize
  • Bermuda
  • Bolivia (Español)
  • Brasil
  • Virgin Islands, British
  • Cayman Islands
  • Chile (Español)
  • Colombia (Español)
  • Costa Rica (Español)
  • Dominica
  • República Dominicana
  • Ecuador (Español)
  • El Salvador (Español)
  • Grenada
  • Guatemala (Español)
  • Honduras (Español)
  • México
  • Nicaragua (Español)
  • Panamá
  • Paraguay (Español)
  • Perú
  • St. Kitts and Nevis
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • Venezuela (Español)

The United States and Canada

  • Canada (English)
  • Canada (Français)
  • United States
  • Estados Unidos (Español México)