Days of the Bagnold Summer

Started out really great and full of laughs. It felt refreshing and a solid directorial effort by Simon Bird.

The Belle and Sebastian songs really helped with the vibe of it. The two leads had good chemistry, and managed to balance tender moments, with dramatic ones, and dry comedy.

Things lost momentum as it went on though. The slice of life elements started to wear thin, and the depressive angst just became a bit tiresome. I wasn't a fan of a particular development involving a certain animal.

But nevertheless, it was unique, succeeded in some laughs and was an alright way to spend 80-something minutes.

There are some things the British Film Industry does par excellence and this is one of them. Funny, sincere and extremely relatable, especially if you have, or have had teenagers and quite probably if you've been one too!

I thought this was a good realisation of the graphic novel by Joff Winterhart - going back to the book afterwards demonstrated thart a good deal of care had gone into capturing the feel of the novel. There are comedic moments but it is not a comedy and, overall, nothing much happens. Having said that I found it satisfying and, in the end, positive. Strong acting throughout - particularly Monicsa Dolan and. Earl Cave.

Daniel is a morose, thrash metal loving teenager dressed in black with long unkept hair who is painfully unsure of himself. He does not have a great relationship with his mum Sue, who, despite having a sunny disposition and cheery manner is also painfully unsure of herself. Daniel is hoping to spend the summer with his father who is now living in Florida but when that plan is scuppered it's clear that he's going to have to spend it with his mother.

To say this film is understated is....well, an understatement. Some reviews have seen the film as pointless and innocuous and to be fair this directorial debut by actor Simon Bird isn't going to change your life but I found a lot to like. There are plenty of laugh out loud moments a few moving ones (but not overtly sentimental) the direction and photography and the songs of Belle and Sebastian perfectly capture the bright but often deadly dull days of a suburban British summer. The supporting cast is full of great British comic actors who are great although the central performances of Earl Cave and especially Monica Dolan as son and mother are quite wonderful.

Your socks won't be blown off but give yourself 85 minutes to immerse yourself into this world and you will find it, I think, a rather disarmingly charming experience.

Monica Dolan and Earl Cave deliver very realistic sparring mother and son details. It is understated, and enjoyable just for that, in a world of car crashes and explosions as entertainment options. There's no real baddie here, just humans finding their way, and it's great for that, both in insight and staging. There are a lot of recognisable details in the mother and son relationship and that's the charm of the film. The hideousness of teenage selfishness and meanness to loving parents (I cringed with knowing guilt a few times), and the sacrifices mums make to carry their kids. A lot of humor in it too. Not a lot happens on the journey and it doesn't really arrive anywhere, and that's probably the main let down here. Daniel does become less of a jerk but there's no realisation or revelation and cause to that character arc other than he just grew up a little. Maybe that's in keep with the life observation aesthetic of the film though. Either way it was a really nice 86 mins and a welcome slice of realness in an overly dramatic world.