A tender and funny coming-of-age story about single parenting and heavy metal, Days of the Bagnold Summer (M) will screen in cinemas across Australia from 18 February. The film is the directorial debut of The Inbetweeners’ Simon Bird, adapted from Joff Winterhart’s graphic novel of the same name.
Days of the Bagnold Summer sweetly draws you into the wobbly relationship between well-intentioned single librarian Sue Bagnold (Monica Dolan) and her black-clad teenage son Daniel (Earl Cave), who’d rather listen to Metallica than his mother.
Sue works in a library. Daniel is the pale-skinned picture of adolescent metal-head angst. This was the summer Daniel was due to spend with his dad and his dad’s new wife in Florida. But when they cancel his trip at the last minute, Sue and Daniel suddenly face the prospect of six long weeks together. An epic war of wills ensues in the unassuming battleground of their suburban home as they each reckon with private tragedies – and pursue their personal passions.
Director Simon Bird comments “Hopefully you come out of it feeling like you know these two people well and you’ve seen a snapshot of their life together that feels relevant to your life as well. That’s what I got from the book, and what I wanted to do with the film.”
Almost its own character in the film is the music, which comes courtesy of indie-folk band Belle and Sebastian. Expertly integrated into the world that Bird creates, the music forms a counterpoint to the death metal blaring from Daniel’s headphones.
Days of the Bagnold Summer boasts strong supporting turns by Rob Brydon, Tamsin Grieg and Alice Lowe, but the film belongs to its two leads, Earl Cave and Monica Dolan.
Days of the Bagnold Summer screened at the 2020 British Film Festival and is distributed in Australia by Limelight Distribution.
Duration: 86 minutes | Classification: M | Genre: Comedy
Screening in the ACT at Palace Electric from 18 February.
ENTER TO WIN
Canberra Daily has 5 x Days of the Bagnold Summer (M) in-season double passes to be won.
To enter, email [email protected] with ‘Days of the Bagnold Summer’ in the subject field. Tell us your name, full contact details (including best delivery address) and one of the stars of this film. Entries close 9am Thursday 18 February 2021 and winners drawn same day. One entry per person. Entrants must be aged 18+.
Canberra Daily competition winners:
The winners in Canberra Daily’s latest round of competition draws (17-19 February 2021) are:
Sunshine Coast holiday: S George, Denman Prospect.
Product of the Year prize packs: J McKenzie, Fisher; J Minto, Dunlop; A Kaminskas, Aranda.
Minari film passes: E Collins, Higgins; B Howe, Yass; J King, Hackett; R Davies, Kingston; R Foster, Yarralumla; D Garratt, Dickson; D Barwick, Fisher; E Masters, Florey; L Chang, Curtin; R Hillary, Queanbeyan.
Pop quiz book bundle: M Maddison, Moncrieff.
JIFF passes: R Davies, Kingston; S Matthews, Curtin; A Salsone, Griffith; A McKenna, Wanniassa; J Berger, Weston.
Days of Bagnold Summer film passes: S Di Mezza, Mawson; E Marshall, Googong; J Kartadinata, Lyneham; V Watson, Chifley; JP Dzirba, Kaleen.
