Days of the Bagnold Summer

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!

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.

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.

The directorial debut from former The Inbetweeners star Simon Bird is a funny and charming coming of age story that follows the dysfunctional relationship between a moody and nihilistic teenager and his depressed divorcee mother as they are forced to spend an entire summer together.

The film manages to capture perfectly the awkwardness of British adolescence and Earl Cave sells the pretentious and mopey teenager that is all too familiar to me. Monica Dolan was also great as Daniel's mum Sue and the use of Belle & Sebastian contrasted by heavy metal in the soundtrack was a great choice to mirror the inherent central conflict of the film.

It's a fairly standard and simplified story and the film lulls quite badly in the middle section, but it shows promise for the future career for Simon Bird. Maybe he was made to be behind the camera and not in front of it.

If you weren't a British teenager that grew up in the suburbs in the late 90s/early 00s listening to metal, then the nuances of this film might be a bit lost on you. From the stereotypical high street, to the bookcases in the library - this film screams everyday British culture. While there are a few shaky performances, Monica Dolan should be commended for her portrayal of the single mum trying everything she can to reconnect with her son. Her subtle delivery of those classic parental lines are both comical and heartfelt in the same breath, allowing the viewer to sympathise both with her and her son (played by Earl Cave, son of Nick Cave). I really enjoyed this film from start to finish, and I'll look forward to seeing more from Simon Bird in the future.