Cemetery Junction (2010)

Brilliant comedy written by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant about a group of youngsters growing up during the 1970s.

Set in a suburb of Reading, Cemetery Junction is a small part of the growing industrial town, where most of the townsfolk work labour intensive jobs or are unemployed. Very few of the inhabitants seem to be able to escape their lower class surroundings, apart from a few plucky individuals.

Christian Cooke plays the lead character of Freddie Taylor, a determined teenager on the brink of manhood, who wants to build a future for himself. At the beginning of the film he gets a job working at a life insurance company, which is headed by a formidable Ralph Fiennes. Whilst Freddie works hard at his job, intending on getting out of Cemetery Junction, he also plays hard with his two buddies Bruce and Snork. Together, the three get into all kinds of mischief and do the things that usual inbetweeners do. However, as the trio move closer to their adult years, all three must face a tough decision about what they want out of life.

Bruce is a very compelling character, played by Tom Hughes. Whilst Bruce never reaches above his station as a factory worker, he does intend on leaving town at his first opportunity. However, his violent temper and unyielding disrespect for authority cause him a lot of trouble.

Freddie also encounters a girl from his childhood, Julie (Felicity Jones) who happens to be his boss’ daughter. Julie’s place as an independent woman in 1970s Britain is fascinating, revealing the era’s awkward transition for females into a freer society, as the expectations for Julie to become a wife and mother, clash with her own desires to be a famous photographer.

Cemetery Junction is a wonderful British film, that captures a nostalgic Britain perfectly. In the same way that a film like The Boat That Rocked (2009) used music and colour to capture the swinging sixties, Gervais and Merchant have used music, wonderful aesthetics, and an authentic imagery to capture the seventies in this humble town. The story is touching, with plenty to delve into for those who wish to discuss socio-political relations of the time, and the moments of comedy are brilliantly entertaining.

I would thoroughly recommend this film if you like Gervais humour, nostalgic Britain, and great filmmaking.