Days of the Bagnold Summer review – sweet, simple story of mismatched family

Light-years away from The Inbetweeners, actor Simon Bird makes his directorial debut with a sweet and restrained portrait of an endless summer, when Metallica fan Daniel (Earl Cave) is forced to spend six weeks at home with his librarian mother Sue (Monica Dolan).

Never self-flagellating or dour, Days of the Bagnold Summer embraces its surface-level paradoxes – Sue stands between two washing lines, one full of whites and pastel pinks, the other a solid row of darkness – but offers sensitivity to both protagonists equally.

After Daniel’s father, who left his mother and started a new life and family in Florida, rescinds his offer for a holiday escape, Daniel is stuck in his small town. He doesn’t see eye to eye with many people, but this comes more from a place of uncertainty, still trying to find his identity, rather than violence or stubbornness.

Cave plays this with easy likability, mastering Daniel’s deadpan stares while also showing sporadic glimpses of good intentions and affection for his mother. Bird directs his actors with empathy – everyone understands they’re just trying to do their best.

Monica is given her own arc, too, rather than merely existing to prop up Daniel’s ambitions. Rob Brydon, as cartoonish as ever, crashes into her love life as Daniel’s history teacher. But this isn’t a film about fairytale happy endings, so even this subplot sees a less than ideal outcome.

With an original score by Belle and Sebastian, the film drifts along pleasantly – only made occasionally explosive when we are given a taster of what Daniel is listening to in his earphones. The breezy pace comes from the fact that neither Daniel nor Sue are made into caricatures. They fulfil certain stereotypes on paper and also visually, but their personalities are accommodating.

This feels refreshing, as the viewer is invited to better understand both parties, but also somewhat limiting. Because the story is just about getting through those six weeks, about making the best of an imperfect situation, there is no major conflict, no drama to invest any intense emotion into.

And maybe that’s a good thing, in terms of the way stories of well-intentioned parents and slightly clueless teens are now told – with greater subtlety and a balanced care given to both generations. Still, perhaps in this specific case, a more stimulating and deeply entertaining experience would be two-fold: start with Bird’s charming, promising first feature, and fill in the gaps with Joff Winterhart’s original graphic novel. Perhaps some lives are so rich that they need to be explored in several ways at once.

Days of the Bagnold Summer is now streaming on VOD platforms.