Top Spot Review

Six teenage girls are growing up in Margate. We follow their everyday lives, from the mundane to the occasionally wild and shocking.

by William Thomas |
Published on
Release Date:

03 Dec 2004

Running Time:

63 minutes

Certificate:

18

Original Title:

Top Spot

The handy thing about being an artist is that you can explain away anything with words like ‘statement’ and ‘symbolism’, so no doubt bashers of Tracey Emin’s first feature will be dismissed as plebs who’ve failed to divine her intentions.

Shot on DV and Super 8, this haphazardly structured work tells of six fictional teenage girls in Emin’s hometown of Margate. Long, dreary sequences focus on ordinary details of the girls’ lives before cutting to more dramatic moments, often juxtaposed with a cheery retro soundtrack. The theme of teenage obsession is explored better than that of abuse, but this is bogged down by poor production values, not to mention a baffling ending featuring Emin herself.

Fans may find some fascination in decoding this work, but as a film it exhibits little quality or appeal.
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