The Fire Next Time (2020)

It doesn't help that from the air, this housing estate looks like something of a prison and so it can hardly be surprising that many of it's residents are a mixture of malcontents. One woman is constantly on the phone trying to get though to the benefits people whilst her child is looking for some attention. Another character is being unceremoniously turfed out of the job centre on an high street that has a slightly implausible mix of shops and then there are some bored youths who are restless and all too ready to cause some mischief. All the while, the light is being reduced in blocks; the darkness is encroaching as if to emphasise the claustrophobic nature of their existences in their gloomy concrete environment. The darkly crafted style of the animation itself is gritty and earthy; it presents us with characterisations (and occasional audio) that do take us into this CCTV-supervised community somewhat reluctantly as we know it is a powderkeg with sirens blaring at the best of times. The story does seem a bit contrived to make a point, and that does let it down on occasion, but the artwork is impressive.