Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Hannah McGowan, Esther Larkin, Jamie Brownson, Pete King, Ian Warburton.

The internet may be many things, it has the opportunity to mimic the human interactions of being a force for good and the huge potential for evil, it is the machine that is only as reliable as the content put in it and at times it makes you despair for the world and what people perceive they have to do to leave their mark on the fragile and scarred Earth.

That despair is tempered by the thought that out there in the world of wires, wi-fi and weirdness, are people planning to improve their chances of leaving something memorable, something that will spark their own personal revolution and catch the attention of those that come across it.

It takes courage to put yourself out into the world, too many voices all shouting at once, all hoping for that one moment where their pleas of look at me are not seen as narcissistic, but of pure pleasure and in Liverpool’s Hannah McGowan, the pleasure is one to enjoy, savour and hope that the film she has written and stars in is seen for true comic and clowning potential that lifts the spirits of those who come into contact with her.

The 45 minute film, Be The Bear, is one of charm, sincerity and a genuine earnestness all wrapped up in the clown and comic she is going to be. A member of the pivotal Young Everyman Playhouse team, Hannah McGowan, starring as a Bear Grylls obsessed woman called Lucy Shank who is determined to live a life in the deepest and scariest forest in Britain, even changing her first name to Lamb to get into the persona, leads from the front and makes the film a very enjoyable and heart warming experience.

With Esther Larkin, Jamie Brownson, Pete King and Ian Warburton all giving their precious time to make the film work, Hannah McGowan’s first film is one that brings home the point of investing in the young, not turning away from them and letting them become a lost generation. The talent out there is undeniable, as a society we perhaps have never had a better opportunity to make sure that the generation coming through now is not blighted by the greed of those over 30, that to Be The Bear should be a rallying call to make things better, not to destroy what little hope is on offer.

A very cool introduction to the world of Hannah McGowan away from the stage, it is one to take pleasure in.

Ian D. Hall