Hampstead (film)

Hampstead is a 2017 British drama film directed by Joel Hopkins and written by Robert Festinger. It is based on the life of Harry Hallowes who successfully claimed ownership of a half-acre plot of Hampstead Heath. The film stars Diane Keaton, Brendan Gleeson, James Norton, Lesley Manville, Jason Watkins, Hugh Skinner, and Simon Callow. The film was released on 23 June 2017, by Entertainment One Films.

Production
The story is based upon the real life events surrounding Harry Hallowes who first squatted on the site in 1987 after being evicted from his council flat in Highgate. Hallowes, who died aged 80 in 2016, battled for the legal rights to own the land on which he had built his shelter arguing that he had gained ownership by adverse possession. He was eventually awarded title to 7,000 ft2.

On 20 October 2015 Diane Keaton and Brendan Gleeson joined the cast of the film. On 13 May 2016 Lesley Manville, James Norton, Jason Watkins, and Simon Callow joined the cast of the film. Principal photography began on 22 May 2016.

Release
The film was released on 23 June 2017 by Entertainment One Films.

Reception
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 43% based on 60 reviews, with an average rating of 5.01/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Hampstead plays matchmaker with a pair of talented veterans, but the sum of their efforts isn't enough to overcome a deeply mediocre story." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 53 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".