"What you said earlier about why do we bother, we're still here aren't we? We can't have mucked things up too badly." (Sue, Daniel's mum, reflects on their recent arguments and takes a philosophical view at a time when her son seems slightly receptive).
Simon Bird exploded onto the small screen then graduated to the big screen with The Inbetweeners, playing nerdish, smart mouthed Will McKenzie. There was an original quality which appealed to audiences world wide, two feature films followed. Here, Bird directs Days Of The Bagnold Summer, his debut feature film and it's a very pleasant domestic drama full of the qualities he mastered during his T.V. career. The leads, Monica Dolan and Earl Cave play mother (Sue) and son (Daniel)Bagnold who are forced to spend a summer together because Daniel's estranged dad can no longer have him for his much anticipated Miami (U.S.A) long break. Bird has great sympathy for both his leads. Sue is simply lovely and Daniel is a teenager who doesn't want to be around or nagged by his mum. But things change when a sad thing happens in their household. They see the real goodness in one another. They learn much about themselves and each other along the way. We can relate to it. It works on screen. Rob Bryden's slightly slimy Douglas isn't really developed but Bryden is good and Sue's dignity remains intact. I'm not sure Bagnold will have a long, big screen run but it will have its fans once it streams. I was pleased to see it in a cinema. I look forward to Simon Birds' next effort. 9GUMS.
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