2020 Directed by Terry McDonough
In July 2005, black teenager Anthony Walker was murdered by two white men in an unprovoked racist attack in a Liverpool park. He was just 18 years old. This film tells the story of how this talented young man's life might have turned out.
It's such a deceptively simple premise from writer Jimmy McGovern, to dramatise the life that Anthony Walker - the 17 year old boy brutally murdered by racist thugs in Huyton in 2005 - should have lived, and it's one that was born out of necessity. Long harbouring this project, McGovern found that if he chose to write it as a straight factual drama, it would be too similar to another BBC factual drama, 2016's Damilola, Our Loved Boy, about the murder of 10-year-old schoolboy Damilila Taylor (and let's pause for a moment to recognise not only the depressing similarity between these cases, but also the depressing frequency in which they occur). As a result, McGovern got creative and, in doing…
I've hardly stopped thinking about this since I watched it. This timely drama is so unusual in its tribute to Anthony and the life he could have lived. It's harrowing and heartbreaking and should win all the BAFTAs.
This BBC drama is a sad tale about a teenager whose future he'll never have.😥
Hard to give this a review due to the heartbreaking story its based on.
All I can say is Black Lives Matter.
If you're not angry you're not paying attention.
Please do all that you can to help. Sign petitions, donate (if you're able to), post on social media. We need things to change. This was so heartbreaking to watch. An original take on this topic and it was very well made.
black lives matter resources
Anthony Walker Foundation
black lives matter UK
Extremely powerful, important and heartbreaking, the BBC’s best feature film. Executed beautifully with an effective reverse timeline to drive home the wretched inhumanity of racism and hate crime. It’s unthinkable what Anthony’s mother has been through, and what Anthony was never able to live through.
it’s the fact that some people in the UK are fully convinced that britain has progressed into a post-racial country...
Kind of a mixed bag but the final scenes were so difficult to watch. Getting killed due to skin colour to this day remains the worst possible thing that could happen to a human.
FUCK RACISM. #BlackLivesMatter
Imagine if they set this all up on Pointless then got knocked out before the Head To Head.
Kind of a mixed bag but the final scenes were so difficult to watch. Getting killed due to skin colour to this day remains the worst possible thing that could happen to a human.
FUCK RACISM. #BlackLivesMatter
As an idea, an homage to Anthony, this is heart breakingly beautiful. Murdered at age 18 in a hate crime, the movie imagines what would Anthony’s life be had that fateful night not happened. And it is told in reverse chronology up until the inevitable truth of his killing.
But as a movie is it good? For me it mostly didn’t work. We are watching the life of a young black man in England, told in scarce moments throughout the years. It feels disconnected because it’s just a regular guy, having a regular life, one that is not particularly interesting on film, and since I know nothing about him besides the on screen written fact that he was murdered, I…
Heartbreaking look at a life that could have been, but was cruelly stolen away.
The premise is great but the reverse chronology is a bit bothersome. The story revolves around Anthony who died when he was 18 due to a hate crime and it explains how his life could’ve been if he lived. I think I would’ve liked the film more if it was told in the right order because we would’ve seen the effect gradually instead of instantly.
Deeply saddening and uncomfortable viewing.
'Anthony' details the real life racially motivated murder of Anthony Walker. As you can imagine, it all makes for extremely tough viewing, especially when you know of the incident. I do like how the film portrays events, with focus put on Walker's life as opposed to the racists.
The film tells the story in reverse, in relation to how his life could've turned out. If I'm honest, I didn't love the backwards nature of the storytelling - it breaks up what they are trying to show too much for my liking, as it feels too stop-start. With that noted, the acting and meaning of those scenes are very nicely done.
Toheeb Jimoh is superb in…
Oh my this made me cry so much, well done to all involved and what a exceptional tribute to Anthony
Imagine if they set this all up on Pointless then got knocked out before the Head To Head.
A life lost over absolutely nothing. RIP Anthony Walker and god bless Gee Walker.
I can not stop thinking about the last 20 minutes of this film when Anthony was 18 because it is extremely dramatic and sad. I couldn't imagine the pain the walker family went through that night and ever since no mother should have to bury their child. This film shows what could of been of Anthony life's.
Painfully necessary TV!
Jimmy McGovern has again used his writing to try and better the world we are living in.
RIP Anthony Walker
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