Star-crossed lovers take on a whole new meaning in My Fault: London, the English-language remake of My Fault, the Spanish film adaptation of Mercedes Ron’s wattpad-cum-novel Culpa Mía, co-directed by Dani Girdwood and Charlotte Fassler. Starring Asha Banks and Matthew Broome, My Fault: London follows Noah and Nicholas as step-siblings whose lives are upended by an undeniable attraction that threatens to fracture their newly formed family.
Being a teenager is hard enough, but when your mum remarries and uproots your life to move across continents it feels like things can only go from bad to worse. In a new country with no friends and a family she never wanted, 18-year-old Noah is determined to make the best of an unwanted situation but soon finds herself at odds with Nicholas, the “Golden Boy” son of her mum’s new millionaire husband. With fangs sharpened and claws out, the pair are equally unhappy to be in each other’s lives and resolve to stay out of the other’s way.
But despite their immediate dislike of each other, it’s clear to them both that there’s something simmering beneath the surface, and their relationship quickly accelerates from a mutual dislike to a mutual attraction. As Noah tries to navigate her new life and new social circle, her budding love for Nicholas unwittingly puts both their lives at risk as the secrets of their pasts tangle into a web of violence and danger.
I’m going to say this right off the bat: I absolutely hate any romance tropes like this one. As someone who comes from a blended family, I find it unbelievably inappropriate that there would be a story like this that centres on siblings, and while Noah and Nicholas aren’t related by blood, they are legally related, so this incest-adjacent love story immediately grossed me out. That being said (I can’t believe I’m actually saying this) My Fault: London actually isn’t that bad of a watch.
I’m fully aware of my hypocrisy here, so just hear me out: icky love story aside, My Fault: London is well made, surprisingly action-packed, and turned out some genuinely good performances from its novice leads. When looking up Matthew Broome’s filmography, I was very surprised to find out that this is his debut feature film, with his only other screen credit being a starring role on the historical drama series The Buccaneers. Asha Banks similarly had only one other film role in 2022’s The Magic Flute sandwiched between a number of television roles. For such fresh screen actors, both Broome and Banks gave performances that were multi-dimensional, believable, and above all, engaging with chemistry that was so strong it was really hard to look away from.
For a movie that is supposed to be about two teens falling in love despite their newly minted family status, My Fault: London also includes an almost absurd amount of action. Set against their shared hobby of fast cars, My Fault: London features a fleet of tricked out cars and adrenaline pumping street races not seen since the likes of The Fast and the Furious. And sure, the stakes of these underground pissing contests are kind of dumb, but damn, if I wasn’t glued to my screen while Noah drifted around car parks and London streets like a pro. What 18-year-old knows how to drift a car? This one, apparently.
In all honesty, as I enjoyed My Fault: London, in spite of myself, my biggest gripe wasn’t any of the above, it was that the one big name actor in the cast (frequent Guy Ritchie collaborator Jason Flemyng) wasn’t able to keep his native accent in check while playing Noah’s American dad, Travis. For a man who is supposed to be aggressively violent and dangerous, it was hard to take him seriously, when every other word he said sounded comically different to the last.
Although I probably won’t sit down to watch My Fault: London again, I can say that it wasn’t the worst way I’ve spent a Tuesday night. If you’re looking for a low effort movie to watch and can look past the fact that, again, Noah and Nicholas are step-siblings then My Fault: London will fit the bill.
My Fault: London is streaming now on Prime Video.