Days of the Bagnold Summer

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.

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.

This story is very real and is get relatable to ordinary people. The mother son relationship is realistic, and their transformation is heartwarming. I enjoyed watching 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.

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.