Son of Rambow

Introduction

In the summer of 1982, Will (Bill Milner) finds himself in the school corridor with tearaway Lee Carter (Will Poulter), and tries to conceal himself behind a bookcase but to no avail. A short scuffle and a broken fishbowl later, naïve Will, a member of the Plymouth Brethren, finds himself at Lee Carter's house acting as his stuntman in a video Lee is making for Screen Test and watching a pirate copy of Rambo: First Blood. They collaborate on the film, using ideas that Will has drawn in his bible and Lee's brother's video camera.

The school is hosting some French exchange students, including the immediately popular Didier (Jules Sitruk) who wants to be involved in the filmmaking, causing the project to get out of hand and threatening the friendship between Will and Lee.

Video

Thanks to the quality of modern stock and the now commonplace 4-month turnaround between theatrical and DVD release, the transfer is excellent. CGI effects are used sparingly and very well.

Audio

The Dolby Digital 5.1 is very clear, front loaded without much surround sound; there is little to choose between this and the DD stereo. The soundtrack including music by The Cure and Siouxsie and the Banshees really helps to evoke the period.

English HoH subtitles and an audio descriptive track are available.

Extra Features

The Audio Commentary with director Garth Jennings, producer Nick Goldsmith and Will and Bill is a chatty but not particularly informative affair.

Making of featurette - running at 35 minutes, this is what you would expect and it does it quite well. It's more informative than the commentary.

The interviews with Jessica Stevenson and Will and Bill are fairly interesting thought the children don't have a lot to say.

Son of Rambow competition winner - done by 4 kids in their house in the spirit of the main feature.

Aron: Part 1 - Garth Jennings made this when he was a child and this is the first time it's been made available in its entirety. It's amateurish schoolboy stuff and a clear inspiration for Son of Rambow.

Geography lesson - three deleted/extended scenes.

Conclusion

Garth Jennings wanted this to be his debut feature, but no one was interested in funding it, until he made his name with The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which was financially successful. With a cast of unknowns (Jessica Stevenson and Eric Sykes aside), he brilliantly captures the look and feel of the '80s.

Bill Milner and Will Poulter had no acting experience and give wonderfully natural performances - Will's insistence on calling his friend by his full name 'Lee Carter' rather than just 'Lee' is a beautiful touch and says so much about that character.

Son of Rambow is a very personal film to Jennings, and it shows. He knows the characters, the time, the childhood experience of making a short film and it pays off in a nostalgic, funny and heart-warming coming of age story. It's a recommended purchase and one of the best films of the year so far.