I Came By is a British Mystery & Thriller film. Babak Anvari wrote and directed the film, which was produced by Lucan Toh and co-written by Namsi Khan. I Came By was released globally on Netflix on Wednesday, August 31, 2022. The film was initially released in select UK theatres on August 19, 2022. The film lasts 109 minutes. Delivered tremendous frights and unpleasant shocks when it hit theatres and online services in August 2022.
The film stars George Mackay, Hugh Bonneville, Percelle Ascott, and Kelly Macdonald. Protagonist is a teenage graffiti artist who steals into the houses of the affluent and discovers something horrifying and diabolical that turns his life into a nightmare.
Netflix has published an official teaser for I Came By, and the film looks very spooky as Hugh Bonneville’s character (a judge) unlocks his cellar door! Take a peek at the trailer below to see the horror that unfolds.
Cast of I Came By
George Mackay as Tobi
Toby, the graffiti artist at the center of the plot, is played by George MacKay. George debuted as Curly in the 2003 film Peter Pan. Since then, he’s played Private Douglas in the BBC1 drama Birdsong and Tommo Peaceful in the film Private Peaceful. George has also been in the BBC1 drama Outcast, as well as the films Pride, Sunshine on Leith, and Munich: the Edge of War. He portrayed Ned Kelly in the 2019 film True History of the Kelly Gang and the Oscar-winning World War One film 1917.
George explains: “Tobi is screaming against higher forces with whom he eventually disagrees. And he feels damaged because of something that happened in his family, which has echoed out to this drive to bring down the ruling elite. He wants to improve and leave his mark on everybody who has power over him. He’s grown really focused on it, and it’s become his work. He’s a really single-minded person, which gives him a lot of integrity and makes him entertaining to play, but there’s also a disdain for the consequences of that behavior, which makes him rather tough to be around.”
Hugh Bonneville as Sir Hector Blake
Hugh plays High Court judge Sir Hector Blake. He appeared in the 1999 film Notting Hill before going on to become a household figure as the Earl of Grantham on Downton Abbey. He also portrayed Ian Fletcher in the television show Twenty Twelve and W1A. Hugh played Roald Dahl in the film To Olivia last year and will star in the upcoming Banking on Mr. Toad. In the Paddington films, he presently plays Henry Brown. In addition to Notting Hill (1997), Iris (2001), The Monuments Men (2014), and the Paddington flicks, he has appeared in several more films (2014-2023).
Percelle Ascot as Jay
Percelle Ascott plays Toby’s graffiti artist friend Jay, who plays an important part in solving the mystery of Hector’s cellar. He is a British-Zimbabwean actor and playwright who was born on June 10, 1993. He is most recognized for his parts in the CBBC show Wizards versus Aliens (2012–2014) and the Netflix show The Innocents (2018). As part of a trio, Ascott worked on the web comedy Mandem on the Wall (2011-2013), the E4 series Youngers (2013-2014), and the film The Weekend alongside Joivan Wade and Dee Kaate (2016).
Kelly MacDonald as Liz
Kelly MacDonald also appears in I Came By as Toby’s single mother, Liz Nealing. Kelly’s first film role was in the classic 1996 film Trainspotting. She has also appeared in the films Gosford Park (2001), Nanny McPhee (2005), and No Country for Old Men (2007). Kelly portrayed Helena Ravenclaw in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 and Merida in the Disney animated film Brave. She recently appeared in the BBC1 crime thriller The Victim, as Sarah in Giri/Haji, and as DCI Jo Davidson in Line of Duty.
Other Casting: Yazdan Qafouri plays Omid, Paddy Wallace plays CID officer Jeff, Micky McGregor plays Carlo Rubio, Kitty Lovett plays Eliza, and the film also stars Varada Sethu, Gabriel Bissett-Smith, Edward Wolstenhome, and Amerjit Deu.
Plot of I Came By
In I Came By, George Mackay portrays Toby, a rebellious young British graffiti artist who earns recognition by breaking into the houses of the exceedingly rich to spray his illegal creative artwork that spells out ‘I Came By’ across the luxurious walls. He becomes a folk hero by wearing a hoodie and being completely incognito, but he is also pursued by the authorities and the affluent and powerful individuals whose homes he vandalizes.
Jay, on the other hand, begins to have second thoughts about what they’re doing, and when his girlfriend informs him she’s pregnant, Jay withdraws from their activities, leaving Toby to go on the campaign alone.
Toby’s first assignment on his own goes tragically wrong when he gets into the home of famed former High Court judge Sir Hector Blake (Hugh Bonneville) and learns a terrible truth that finally puts him in grave danger.
Ending Explanation: I Came By
Let us start from the beginning when Tobi breaks into Hector’s home and discovers images of a young guy chained and abused. The true secret, however, is revealed through the peephole in the concealed metal door. Tobi’s second break-in didn’t expose it. He was alone this time since Jay was expecting a child. The police were also terrified of Hector because of his link with the local Superintendent. As a result, Toby decided to conduct his own investigation.
Hector has a young man imprisoned in his hidden room, and Toby seeks to help him escape. But Hector returns in the middle of the rescue, and Toby stumbles on the floor as a result of his attempt to tackle Hector. Hector hits him with a cricket bat and sets the bat and his clothing on fire.
Liz was concerned and went to look into Hector. She discovered Hector with Omid, a young immigrant. She also finds that Hector drugged Omid, and despite Liz’s persistence, he refuses to speak. Following this, Hector kidnapped Omid by threatening him with the permanent residence application.
A question arises
A question arisesNow there is a question as to why Hector committed all of these kidnappings and murders. The solution then emerges through his and Omid’s dialogue. Hector tells him of his history when his family had a young Parsi worker named Ravi who was taken under his father’s wing. He ends up sleeping with his father, which causes Hector’s mother to commit suicide. After all of this, Hector was transferred to a boarding school and developed a dislike for Ravi. Hector considered it liberated and empowered to hit Ravi so viciously that he may have killed him.
Hector appears to be using the inmates he kidnapped to punish “him” for what happened to his mother. Either that or the events of Hector’s childhood awoke something evil inside him. Whatever it is, it strongly implies that Hector utilized his employment with immigrants for evil purposes. Lizzie resolves to conduct her own investigation when Omid goes missing. Lizzie’s story ends exactly as tragically as Toby’s did. Hector informs her that he killed Toby and “flushed his ashes down the toilet” before killing her.
Lizzie and Omid suffer the same fate. After not hearing from Liz for a week, Jay decided to follow Hector. Jay discovers another hidden room in the basement, and Hector has managed to bring another prisoner inside. Hector appears to have spent no time continuing his evil pastime following his relocation, but this time, Jay was able to liberate the new prisoner.
Given the little glimpses we get of both captives in Hector’s home, watchers were wondering if it’s the same prisoner or possibly Ravi himself. But Babak Anvari, co-writer and director acknowledged to Digital Spy that they are distinct convicts, with Hector forced to clean house when Toby uncovered his secret.
Reactions and Reviews
The majority of viewers appreciated the film, which had them on the edge of their seats, waiting to see what would happen next. A skillfully directed exercise in suspense and heavy-handed socially aware gestures that keeps our attention despite a shoddy narrative that makes uncomfortable time jumps and constantly switches from one protagonist to the next.
This thriller was surprising, and the finale, although not perfect, was just right. Bonneville’s portrayal of the ex-judge living a double life was flawless. The cops were once again disappointing, but not for lack of effort; the bad guy does evil things effectively, and the entire supporting cast performed admirably. Some people were upset with the ending, but I believe that not every narrative and character will have a happy ending.
