Born Equal
| Born Equal | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Dominic Savage |
| Directed by | Dominic Savage |
| Starring |
Robert Carlyle Colin Firth Peter O'Connor Nicholas Burns Anne-Marie Duff Emilia Fox |
| Theme music composer | Rupert Gregson-Williams |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Ruth Caleb Lucy Hillman |
| Cinematography | Danny Cohen |
| Editor(s) | David G. Hill |
| Running time | 83 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC One |
| Picture format | 16:9 576i |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original release |
|
Born Equal is a television film produced for the BBC. Written and directed by BAFTA award-winning Dominic Savage, it stars Colin Firth, Robert Carlyle, David Oyelowo, Anne-Marie Duff and Emilia Fox, and explores aspects of poverty, race, inequality, homelessness, immigration and class in modern Britain by following the stories – at times intertwining – of several people living in London.
City banker Mark (Colin Firth) lives with his pregnant wife Laura (Emilia Fox) in a large house in an upper-middle-class neighbourhood. Although he has just made a fortune in a financial deal, Mark refuses to give money to a beggar in an underground station, but later regrets this behaviour and begins to feel guilty about his success and opulent lifestyle. Another day, he returns to find the homeless man and gives him 100 pounds. Mark then resolves to use his wealth to help the indigent and volunteer as an outreach worker. As the film develops, it becomes clear that his newfound concern for the poor is also a form of escapism from his materialistic wife, and that he feels trapped and frightened by his life.
Robert (Robert Carlyle), a convicted murderer, is released from prison and moves into a hostel in Swiss Cottage. There he meets the pregnant Michelle (Anne-Marie Duff), who has been relocated with her young daughter by a social worker to protect them from her abusive husband. Robert and Michelle form an intriguing relationship, while Robert continues looking for his mother, whom he has not seen for many years.
In the hostel also lives a Nigerian immigrant family – journalist Yemi (David Oyelowo), his wife Itshe (Nikki Amuka-Bird) and their daughter. Yemi works as kitchen help in a restaurant and Itshe as a house cleaner. They desperately need to raise 5,000 pounds to bring Yemi's father from Nigeria to London, before the political gangs who forced them into emigrating kill him.
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