Whether it be epic-scale cinema like Cry Freedom or a tourettes-sufferer in the Big Brother house, certain media events can create a huge shift in attitude. While, sadly, I doubt Keane will reach anywhere near the size audiences of the aforementioned, it did have a similar effect, making this viewer sit up and take notice of the very real issue of mental illness.<br /><br />The film follows titular character, William Keane (Damian Lewis) around a cold, uncaring New York as he searches for his missing daughter. He says she was abducted but, with it clear from the outset that he is not of healthy mind, this is not clear. Shot hand-held in the gloomiest of locations, Lodge Kerrigan's unromantic portrait of New York is very real but, conversely, since the sequence of events occur through Keane's eyes, it's uncertain as to quite what is reality. The camera rarely strays from Damian Lewis. His performance drags you into his reality, and once you're there, he breaks your heart. The simple "day to day" is so difficult for him that life becomes increasingly painful and complex. This polarised look at one man makes me hungry for more cinema that eschews large casts instead to home in on a single person. While the film is built around Lewis, there is strong support from Amy Ryan and Abigail Breslin (a wonderful child actress who can be seen in Little Miss Sunshine).<br /><br />What makes this such an important film is that there's no glossing-over of Keane's flaws. One still can't help but empathise with him thanks to a bravura performance from Lewis that doesn't descend into thespy showboating. Rain Man this ain't.