Days of the Bagnold Summer (2020)

[holyzombiejesus]

Just watched this and it was a real joy. Based on Joff Winterhart's graphic novel and directed by Simon Bird, it tells the story of teenage metal head Daniel and his divorced mum Sue and the summer they have to spend together when Daniel's trip to the states to see his dad gets cancelled. Very British (but in a good way), lovely performances from the leads (Monica Dolan and Earl Cave) and a great cameo from Tim Key. Belle and Sebastian soundtrack. £3.49 to stream from the usuals. Heartily recommend it.

Oh, it's also got that little kid from Uncle in it but now he looks like Justin Hawkins from The Darkness.

[neveragain]

Also featuring Tamsin Grieg, Rob Brydon and Alice Lowe! I'm sold.

[Icehaven]

I read and enjoyed the graphic novel a while back so I might give this a go. I saw Simon Bird being interviewed on that Kermode and Mayo review show the other day and trying to describe the juxtaposition of B&S with metal on the soundtrack without using the word 'twee'.

[dissolute ocelot]

Just saw this. It's a small-scale story, but told very well. All the performances are good (also relatively naturalistic cameos from Julia Davis and Rob Bryden - the latter in particular is perfect). Maybe because it comes from a graphic novel, it also has a strong sense of visual storytelling which makes it stand out from the typical film from a comedy actor/etc: it knows how a shot of an empty space can be devastating, as well as some brief and funny sight gags, adding to the understated quality.

I'm not a huge Belle and Sebastian fan, but it definitely works at adding a certain ironic distance. If it was soundtracked with the son's music it would be too close to him and too far from the mother.

But as a fan of goths/moshers/metallers and the seaside and suburbia, it's going to resonate with me. I will definitely be interested to see what Simon Bird does next - on the basis of this, he's a much better director than actor.

[Icehaven]

Just saw this. It's a small-scale story, but told very well. All the performances are good (also relatively naturalistic cameos from Julia Davis and Rob Bryden - the latter in particular is perfect). Maybe because it comes from a graphic novel, it also has a strong sense of visual storytelling which makes it stand out from the typical film from a comedy actor/etc: it knows how a shot of an empty space can be devastating, as well as some brief and funny sight gags, adding to the understated quality.

I'm not a huge Belle and Sebastian fan, but it definitely works at adding a certain ironic distance. If it was soundtracked with the son's music it would be too close to him and too far from the mother.

But as a fan of goths/moshers/metallers and the seaside and suburbia, it's going to resonate with me. I will definitely be interested to see what Simon Bird does next - on the basis of this, he's a much better director than actor.

Given his career trajectory so far seems to be following Richard Ayoade's almost identically only 10 years behind, let's hope it isn't presenting vacuous celebrity vehicles on Channel 4.

[Small Man Big Horse]

Given his career trajectory so far seems to be following Richard Ayoade's almost identically only 10 years behind, let's hope it isn't presenting vacuous celebrity vehicles on Channel 4.

It's weird how Ayoade's directing career seems to have died, Submarine was massively critically acclaimed and though The Double didn't quite get the same reaction it still seemed to be liked by some (though I have to confess to struggling with it personally), but ever since then he hasn't made a thing. Perhaps it's a personal choice, but slumming it doing voice over work and the odd bit of presenting seems like a really odd decision.

[PlanktonSideburns]

It's weird how Ayoade's directing career seems to have died, Submarine was massively critically acclaimed and though The Double didn't quite get the same reaction it still seemed to be liked by some (though I have to confess to struggling with it personally), but ever since then he hasn't made a thing. Perhaps it's a personal choice, but slumming it doing voice over work and the odd bit of presenting seems like a really odd decision.

im sure ive heard him say he just wants to stay home with his wife (we all do Richard)

[Shit Good Nose]

It's weird how Ayoade's directing career seems to have died, Submarine was massively critically acclaimed and though The Double didn't quite get the same reaction it still seemed to be liked by some (though I have to confess to struggling with it personally), but ever since then he hasn't made a thing. Perhaps it's a personal choice, but slumming it doing voice over work and the odd bit of presenting seems like a really odd decision.

It's because The Double only opened in about five cinemas worldwide and made about 50p (exaggeration on both counts, but you get the idea) and, despite Wiki saying it was "favourably" reviewed, an awful lot of critics (mainly American, IIRC) dismissed it as being unbearably smug and impenetrable even for a small low budget independent art film.  After that, the DVD and blu did piss-poor business as well, especially in comparison to Submarine, which was a massive hit on home video.  In an interview shortly after, Ayoade said something along the lines of "the phone basically stopped ringing overnight".  I also seem to remember him hinting that it almost perfectly coincided with the time when everyone started to hate Jesse Eisenberg. 

(EDIT - as Plank says above) I wouldn't be surprised if being at home with wife and kids more also had something to do with it - he protects his private life quite fiercely.

I haven't seen The Double since it came out and, if I'm honest, can't really remember much about it other than Morris' cameo (I don't even remember Wallace Shawn being in it, and he's one of my favourite actors), but I do remember walking out thinking "meh".  Dostoevsky is a notoriously difficult prospect for adaptation and far more have failed than succeeded.  I once read a piece that was generally about film adaptations of Dostoevsky's work, and the author (can't remember who) - tongue in cheek I reckon - put the case forward that the most successful screen translation was Columbo.


I have not seen, nor have any real interest in Bagnold Summer.

[mrpupkin]

Where is the Bagnold film set, out of interest?

[holyzombiejesus]

Suburbia

[dissolute ocelot]

Brilliant review on IMDb:

I honestly have no idea how people persuade other people to give them money to make films like this. My wife and I wanted a comedy, this was described as a comedy. We paid good money for it and didn't laugh once. If another product similarly failed to be "as described" we'd be able to get our money back. Watching this miserable teenager self indulgently speak and act so appallingly to his mother was just no fun at all. Watching his mum take verbal slaps in the face time after time was just not funny. Wrapping it up with a "gentle British comedy " tag just isn't good enough. I will however give credit to whoever was responsible for some superb framing shots .

4/10

[Small Man Big Horse]

It's because The Double only opened in about five cinemas worldwide and made about 50p (exaggeration on both counts, but you get the idea) and, despite Wiki saying it was "favourably" reviewed, an awful lot of critics (mainly American, IIRC) dismissed it as being unbearably smug and impenetrable even for a small low budget independent art film.  After that, the DVD and blu did piss-poor business as well, especially in comparison to Submarine, which was a massive hit on home video.  In an interview shortly after, Ayoade said something along the lines of "the phone basically stopped ringing overnight".  I also seem to remember him hinting that it almost perfectly coincided with the time when everyone started to hate Jesse Eisenberg. 

(EDIT - as Plank says above) I wouldn't be surprised if being at home with wife and kids more also had something to do with it - he protects his private life quite fiercely.

I haven't seen The Double since it came out and, if I'm honest, can't really remember much about it other than Morris' cameo (I don't even remember Wallace Shawn being in it, and he's one of my favourite actors), but I do remember walking out thinking "meh".  Dostoevsky is a notoriously difficult prospect for adaptation and far more have failed than succeeded.  I once read a piece that was generally about film adaptations of Dostoevsky's work, and the author (can't remember who) - tongue in cheek I reckon - put the case forward that the most successful screen translation was Columbo.


I have not seen, nor have any real interest in Bagnold Summer.

Ah, I didn't know that The Double had been as huge a flop as that but thanks for the info (and Plank too).

[SteveDave]

We saw this last night and it was lovely. Laugh out loud in a lot of places.

The kid from Uncle now just sounds like a mini-Julian Rhind-Tutt.