House of America

Written by controversial Welsh theatre director Ed Thomas "House of America" is a rather complex and artistic film with some interesting points to make about Welsh cultural identity. Set in a remote rural Welsh town the film tells the story of a rather warped family obsessed with the all things American. The characters are fed up with their boring, mundane existence in their remote South Wales community and fantasise about leaving for America to live with their father who supposedly left Wales to chase his dreams in the land of opportunity. However not all is as it seems and the truth is all too condemning for those who live in a dream like bubble of consciousness constructed from their fantasies of American literature. The horror of reality is too difficult to accept for the condemned hero of the film Sid and his Sister Gwenny who take on the personas of the American writer Jack Kerouac and his relationship with Joyce Johnson. The results are catastrophicly destructive as the truth of their reality slowly emerges to haunt them, and their disillusioned lives begin to fall apart. Ed Thomas has some interesting if not clichéd points to make about how we are all rapped up in the media culture of America and how Wales has no real cultural identity of its own. The usual Welsh stereotypes are dismissed as being artificially constructed and ultimately fake, there are no happy mining communities, no sheep no daffodils or rolling green hills in this film, just an empty void which is filled by borrowing off American culture which is ultimately all lies. An artistic, cleverly constructed film well worth watching if you can stand its dark and depressing nature. -Stuart Hall

I used to work in the coal industry and know Banwen and the area well.

When the film makers scouted the location for the film they planned on using the local Banwen opencast coal site after visiting it, so they were a bit disconcerted to return prior to production to see that the site had finished mining and was being filled in! Fortunately they were able to use another site nearby.

I spent the best part of 4 years driving around South Wales in a blue landrover, so I was delighted to see it prominently featured in a scene in the mine. (yes I know I'm very sad and should get out more,lol).

I watched this film out of curiosity but did enjoy it although it is bleak. If I had to be critical it doesn't convey the humour and togetherness prevalent in the type of community it portrays, but I don't think that was the intention. Not a film that demands regular viewing, but it has solid acting.

A family saga set in South Wales in which Sid, Gwenny and Boyo succeed in cracking up. A wild and crazy film that's well worth two hours of your time, if you can find it !

My wife writes: The Cable guide classified this film as a comedy. However,I did not find it amusing. In fact, I thought it was rather depressing, but well acted, particularly the part of Sid, played by Steven MacKintosh. I went to bed feeling grateful that I was not poor and Welsh. To get the credit that this film deserves, it should viewed again by the classifier and shown at a more reasonable hour and, in time, I think that, like "Withnail and I", this film could be a classic.

Yes, it does pander to a lot of stereotypes ever present in British films. Drunks, drugs, people going bonkers and a grim landscape. But, that doesn't mean it isn't a good film! It has some funny moments, and features brilliant performances from Matthew Rhys and Sian Phillips (who looks like a movie star from the 50s, and retains the glamour even in the height of madness). And unfortunately, like most stereotypes, it has emerged from an element of truth.

I don't think anyone would be that shallow and stupid to look at this film, and think that is how everyone in the Valleys lives any more than people watch 'Trainspotting' and think everyone in Scotland shoots up all the times. The sad matter is these films do reflect reality for SOME people, and frankly I do not care if it reflects badly on Wales because these stories should be told. What happens to Sid is happening more and more in my area and is not being addressed.

Being a Neath girl, I may be biased because it is not often you get to see my area on screen, especially Banwen. But if anyone was to ask me where I grew up, what its like, I'd show them the film because it rings true, even if it is a huge exaggeration (hence, why it is called fiction). There is a lot of unemployment, there are a lot of people do drink too much, the weather is that bad most of the time but its mostly the humour, the way the people in the film connect. People do take the mick out of each other, and wind each other up, and cannot talk about their problems, and find things to laugh at in their bleakest moment.

If you want Shakespeare, watch Hamlet. If you want Working Class Britain, watch this.