Twenty-One

Twenty-One is a 1991 British-American drama film directed by Don Boyd from a script co-written with Zoë Heller. Patsy Kensit stars as the 21-year-old protagonist. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in February 1991. It was released theatrically later that year in the United States on 4 October, followed by a British release on 1 November. Premise Katie is a Londoner about to turn 21. She confides directly to the camera about her life, which includes her drug-addicted boyfriend Bobby, an affair with a married barrister, and the dissolution of her parents’ marriage. Katie's father Kenneth is a naïve car salesman who believes he can still patch things up with his philandering wife. When Bobby dies of an overdose, Katie reflects on her life and decides to move to Manhattan. Cast Patsy Kensit as Katie Jack Shepherd as Kenneth Patrick Ryecart as Jack Maynard Eziashi as Baldie Rufus Sewell as Bobby Sophie Thompson as Francesca Susan Wooldridge as Janet Robert Bathurst as Mr. Metcalfe Reception The film received a rapturous response upon its premiere at Sundance, with Kensit being lauded for a star-making performance by some critics. Some festival goers likened Kensit's role to Julie Christie’s in the film Darling.