Based on Bol’she Ben, the controversial, best-selling diaries of Pavel Tetersky & Sergei Sakin, Bigga than Ben follows the wild exploits of two freewheeling Russians, Spiker and Cobakka. Dodging the military draft, they decide to take their chances in Britain, embarking on a headlong charge through the seedy underworld of the multi-cultural melting pot that is London. Shoplifting, bank fraud, cooking heroin and smoking crack are all amongst the specialist subjects, as this priceless, barbed satire delivers a comprehensive guide to screwing the system. However, as their rollercoaster ride through the electric highs of the low life starts to slow down, things start to fall apart for our unlikely heroes.

Ben Barnes featured in Stardust (EIFF 2007) and will soon be seen in the title role of Disney’s Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. But while major mainstream stardom beckons, here Barnes proves his mettle in a darker context. He commits a quietly dignified performance that subtly evolves in conjunction with the film, to eventually splinter free from the main relationship and claim centre stage. This relationship is obviously pivotal to the piece and Barnes’ natural interaction with co-star Andrei Chadov, who, along with his brother Aleksei (Nightwatch, Daywatch) is already a star in his native Russia, more than fulfills that remit, providing an endearing and enduring screen partnership on which to focus.

Shot on 16mm and independently produced, director S A Halewood’s enthusiastically subversive film is a brilliantly savage black comedy, bursting with raw energy, that cleverly reflects the journey of its protagonists via its changing styles and tones, its abrasive humour slowly dissolving to reveal its recognition of the cold, moral truth.