Shed Your Tears and Walk Away

The market town of Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire has a reputation as being something of a bohemian idyll, a thriving tourist destination and a haven for an artistic community, for creative industries and for independent retailers. Filmmaker Jez Lewis grew up there, and was prone to question this image of the place, particularly as he was returning there frequently to attend funerals. A number of people he grew up with have developed drink and drug problems, while others have committed suicide, so he started out to make a film asking why people of his generation are killing themselves. He reconnects with an old friend, Cass, who is suffering from hepatitis and liver cirrhosis, and has been given two years to live if he doesn’t stop drinking. Yet Cass is to be found most days supping cans of extra-strong lager in the park, surrounded by characters doing the same. Spending time with Cass, his friends and their families, Lewis finds them smart, articulate, funny and occasionally heroic, despite their often desperate circumstances. Shot through with compassion, Shed Your Tears and Walk Away is bold, deeply personal documentary filmmaking, providing an insight into the lives of lost souls that is both sympathetic and urgent. —bfi