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.
