Common (film)
| Common | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Jimmy McGovern |
| Directed by | David Blair |
| Starring |
Michelle Fairley Nico Mirallegro Michael Gambon |
| Theme music composer | Dirk Nel |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Colin McKeown |
| Cinematography | Adrian Johnston |
| Editor(s) | Patrick Hall |
| Running time | 90 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC One |
| Original release |
|
Common is a 2014 BBC One 90-minute made-for-television drama, written by Jimmy McGovern, directed by David Blair and starring Michelle Fairley, Nico Mirallegro and Michael Gambon. It seeks to question some of the issues and challenges raised by England's common purpose legal doctrine.
The drama focuses on England's controversial joint enterprise doctrine. It is set in North West England, and was filmed in Liverpool (although the city is never mentioned).
First shown on 6 July 2014, the drama examines the issues surrounding a case in which the defendants were charged with murder involving joint enterprise or common purpose. McGovern was inspired by the real life case of 16-year-old Jordan Cunliffe, sentenced under this law for a minimum term of 12 years for the murder of Garry Newlove, despite Cunliffe not actively taking part in the attack.
Johnjo O'Shea is an ordinary 17-year-old, with the exception that he is a hemophiliac. He is asked to give a few friends of his older brother a lift in his brother's car, so that they can visit a pizza takeaway. Johnjo is unaware that one of his passengers has been tipped off by a friend who runs that shift at the pizza place that an adversary is about to enter, and the real reason for wanting a lift is to get there quickly to confront him. One of the other boys starts an argument with a bystander (Tommy Ward), and stabs him, fatally. The drama then follows the police and legal procedures, as well as the conflicts between family members, the boys involved and the community. Although he and his family consider him to be an innocent bystander, he ends up in court charged as an accessory to murder, under the doctrine of common purpose, the "common" of the film's title, which may also make reference to the view that segments of society might take of the working class youths involved.
The film's denouement shows Johnjo's mother and Margaret Ward, the mother of the murdered boy, talking in the street. The latter shows the former a letter that she received from Johnjo apologizing for what happened and accepting a degree of culpability because even though he hadn't taken part, his being there because he was born had allowed it to happen. Both mothers see the truth in Johnjo's innocence, the flawed decency in his view on culpability and the tragedy that both will be deprived of innocent sons, albeit only one permanently. They embrace, before Margaret Ward turns and walks away.
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