DAYS OF THE BAGNOLD SUMMER - London Film Festival review

The directorial debut of The Inbetweeners and Friday Night Dinner star Simon Bird, Days of the Bagnold Summer stars Monica Dolan and Earl Cave as a mother and son navigating their way through the summer holidays in British suburbia when the six week holiday Daniel was supposed to be spending with his father is abruptly cancelled.

Based on Joff Winterhart's 2012 graphic novel of the same name, Days of the Bagnold Summer has a similar narrative drive and tone to a Daniel Clowes book, just stripped of any exoticism you might get from an American setting and instead set in a typically boring, beige British suburbia. There's a popular strain of teenage graphic novels at the moment, including Charles Forsman's The End of the Fxxking World, that are having successful adaptations into live action. For all intents and purposes they're just like the dystopian YA novels that have birthed film franchises like Hunger Games and Divergent, but with much lower stakes and lead by pasty, socially awkward main characters. Much more relatable, don't you think?

Daniel is one of those kind of characters who, for all his supposed teenage rebellion, is crushingly normal in a way that is wholly relatable. Unlike other graphic novel characters who've made the jump to the big screen, He's never as confident as Ghost World's Enid Coleslaw or verbose as American Splendor's Harvey Pekar, but there's something about his characterisation that reminds of those characters. Neither cartoony or a normcore charicature, he's well drawn, and not just in ink. Brought to life by Earl Cave (son of musician Nick), Daniel is a moody 16 year old with long, lank hair and a Metallica hoody, just like you'd see hanging out on the corner of any suburban cul-de-sac. Quiet, shy and awkward, he says mean, passive aggressive things to his mother basically out of teenage duty to rebellion, something that he hopes to express better by starting his own metal band. As his mother Sue, Monica Dolan is simply fantastic. Trapped in a fashion time-warp that's ageing her beyond her years, she's an adorably kind natured person hoping to find a piece of happiness for herself, and Daniel. With Daniel's father out of the picture starting a new family in Florida, Sue has devoted the last few years to raising Daniel and put her own happiness on the back burner, but when Daniel's smooth talking teacher (Rob Brydon) asks her out on a date, maybe the summer won't be a complete loss after all.

I wasn't aware of the original graphic novel before seeing the film, the main draw being the potential of something great offered by director Simon Bird, AKA Will from The Inbetweeners, in what is his first directorial offering. Best known as a performer (but also the co-writer of the short lived sitcom Chickens), the characters Bird plays tend to display a sort of 'switched on' savvy nature that probably doesn't veer too far away from the man himself. With a script written by Lisa Owens adapted from the original book, it's perhaps a surprise at first that there's no characters here that could be comparable to Will Mackenzie or his friends, but it's ultimately a strength that the film hasn't tried to be a clone of something that came before it. Sure, the basic genus of the film means there's comparisons to be made from other graphic novel adaptations and Bird himself has stated that Richard Ayoade's excellent Submarine is among his cinematic influences, but any DNA this shares with other off kilter teen movies stops when we reach the character of Sue. She is as equally important to the film as Daniel is, and makes for a compelling, if unlikely, character to root for.

There's a large percentage of the story devoted to both Bagnold's doing their own thing whilst trying to find themselves over the summer, but the film is at its best when the two leads are together. Bird manages to capture the unspoken bond between Daniel and his mum, most notably during the highlight of the film when they both enjoy a family trip to the seaside that manages to be impossibly sweet without them saying to each other much at all.

On paper, both written down and drawn,  Daniel could quite easily have been a petulant Kevin and Perry clone, but Cave, best known for his brief but memorable appearance as Frodo in the TV adaptation of The End of the Fxxking World, gives Daniel a lot of warmth and heart, making him a real underdog you want to see succeed. However, it's safe to say that the real star of the show is Monica Dolan as the unassuming Sue, who makes your heart bleed for every typically normal suburban single mum out there trying their hardest for their kids without much fanfare or appreciation from their offspring. This isn't a film with dramatic confrontations or bombastic moments, but Dolan packs so much emotion into little looks and pauses that you'll want to ring your mum as soon as you finish the film and apologise for being a rotten little teenager.

A love letter to every boring suburban summer you had growing up, Days of the Bagnold Summer is an understated joy to watch.

SUBMARINE BLU-RAY review

Out now on DVD and Blu-Ray is Richard Ayoade's directorial debut, charting the highs and lows of teenager Oliver Tate's love life. Read my thoughts on the film and what the Blu-Ray extras have to offer, next...

SUBMARINE review

Now in cinemas is the directorial debut of the one and only Richard Ayoade. Watch the trailer and find out what I thought of it, next...

Oliver Tate (Craig Roberts) is something of an outsider. At school he tends to keep himself to himself, occasionally taking part in some ritualistic bullying to appear normal in the eyes of his peers. After giving in to the pressure of his friends, he decides it's time he found himself a girlfriend; the best option being the rather narcissistic and abrasive Jordana (Yasmin Paige). Romance soon blossoms, and Oliver finds the presence of Jordana to be a welcome distraction from the breakdown of his parents' marriage which he is witnessing firsthand. If only he can keep his mother away from the mulleted mystic Graham (Paddy Considine), all will be well in his life.

The feature film directorial debut of Richard Ayoade (Garth Marenghi, AD/BC: A Rock Opera, probably best known as Moss from The IT Crowd), Submarine is a film that's been on my radar for some time as one of my most highly anticipated films of 2011. I've been a fan of Ayoade's work, both as an actor and a director, since he first appeared on the scene as Dean Learner in Garth Marenghi's Darkplace. He's never really dealt with straight-forward comedy (if there is such a thing), the closest being the fan pleasing nerd he plays in The IT Crowd. As a writer and director he tends to stay clear of the mainstream, catchphrase heavy style of comedy, preferring to put his unique style into slightly random oddities like the modern Christmas classic that is AD/BC: A Rock Opera. If you don't know what that is, you need to stop what you're doing and go watch it now.

It's become all too easy to label anything with the slightest glimpse of quirk as being 'Wes Anderson-esque'. It's clear that Richard Ayoade is well versed in the works of Mr Anderson and Submarine should appeal to a similar audience, but his style shares more in common with the whimsical manner of Hal Ashby. Much like Ayoade, the film is very cine-literate (Oliver doesn't have over-boiled sprouts; his are 'out of focus') and wears its French New Wave influences on its sleeve. Oliver wanders the Welsh beaches like a lost Antoine Doinel looking for his camera crew, finding nothing but his over-active inner monologue.

This is a film all about character, and it's got a great one in lead Oliver Tate. Occupying nearly every frame of the movie, we get to know the inner workings of this 15 year old boy very well. He's a curious little chap with a great command of the English language, putting it to great use in his letter writing and unintentionally self deprecating one-liners. It'll be a struggle to find a better line this year than "Jordana hates anything romantic, so I took her to one of my favourite industrial estates". Somewhat obsessed with death and borderline autistic/sociopathic in his actions, he's what would have become of Harold from Harold and Maude if he'd have met a girl his own age first.

A lot of the success of the film must be pointed in the direction of Craig Roberts. As Oliver, he ably expresses the awkwardness of being an average teenager (albeit one with an above average intellect) finding his feet in a romantic setting. He may be slightly weird, but balances it out by being effortlessly sweet. Along with Yasmin Paige as the potentially icy Jordana, they make these characters feel realistic and likeable. The parents (Noah Taylor and Sally Hawkins) are the least well drawn characters in the film, but as it's Oliver's tale that perhaps doesn't matter too much. I'd have liked to have seen more of them, as well as Paddy Considine's complex and intriguingly styled mystic.

Submarine is quite a beautiful film to look at. Making great use of the Welsh coast, the film is shot in a rich and grainy style that gives it an almost timeless feel. No real reference is made to when the film is set, but its use of Duffel coats and cassette players could plant it anytime in the last 25 years. Likewise, the melancholic songs that have been supplied by Arctic Monkeys front-man Alex Turner fit the tone of the film perfectly.

It's perhaps a little too random to find a mainstream audience (the Jellyfish intro may start to test your patience), but it's an extremely well crafted ode to teenage romance and the pangs of first love that encapsulates how well intentioned but cruel life can be. As a directorial debut it's impressive stuff, and I eagerly await what Richard Ayoade chooses to do next. Influenced by the masterworks of independent cinema it may be, but as a refreshing example of what new talent can achieve, Submarine may have just restarted the rotors of the British film industry.

Verdict

SUBMARINE trailer review

In an incredible piece of counter programming, Warp Films have chosen today to release the trailer for Richard Ayoade's directorial debut, Submarine. Who needs the Superbowl ads? This is where the cool kids are.


UPDATED: Whereas earlier the trailer was only available via 'liking' the film's facebook page, it's now been made freely available via YouTube. Here it is for your enjoyment.

Firstly, I am a fan of Richard Ayoade, both as an actor and a director. Submarine may be his first big screen outing, but he's directed some interesting television work, including the modern Christmas classic, AD/BC: The Rock Opera. Working here from Joe Dunthorne's novel, Ayoade's sense of humour isn't immediately noticeable, and Submarine appears much more melancholic and romantic than you'd first expect. Through its stylings, setting and costuming, it appears to me to be a cross between Harold and Maude and Gregory's Girl, and clearly holds the troubled romances of the French New Wave in some reverence.


For me the trailer shows everything I'd been hoping for, and I can't wait to see how Paddy Considine's mystical rocker fits into this tale of youthful woes and burgeoning romance. Oliver Tate may appear to be a slightly Max Fischer-ish character, but he also appears to have a equally dry sense of humour. This looks like a properly cool piece of British Cinema, and I can't wait.


Due March 18th
Anticipation Level