Pond Life – ABC Film Challenge – Favourites – P – Pond Life – Movie Review
Director: Bill Buckhurst
Writer: Richard Cameron (Screenplay)
Cast
- Tom Varey (Game of Thrones)
- Esme Creed-Miles (Hanna)
- Angus Imrie (The Kid Who Would Be King)
- Gianluca Gallucci (Ted’s Top Ten)
- Ethan Wilkie (Nocturnal)
Plot: In summer 1994 in a quiet mining village just outside Doncaster, a rumour stirs about the legend of a giant carp in the nearby decoy ponds. Trevor takes watch one night at the water’s edge. The following night, he decides to lead a brigade of young friends and neighbours on a fishing expedition. In a world of broken families, cassette tapes, and rumbling political fever, these friends, with their own struggles to bear, share a moment of harmony that they will never forget as they witness the carp for themselves.
Runtime: 1 Hour 40 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Pond Life starts as we meet the kids from around a small Yorkshire town. Trevor (Varey), Pogo (Freed-Miles), Malcolm (Imrie), Shane (Gallucci), Dave (Wilkie), Maurice (Lewis) and Cassie (Edgar-Jones). They are heading into summer holiday when they get caught up in a mystery in the town.
As they put their differences aside, they find themselves on a big adventure. They go in search of a massive carp, but in the end, they gain something more important, life lessons.
Verdict on Pond Life
Pond Life is a coming-of-age drama following a group of kids and teenagers in a Yorkshire town. It follows their everyday struggles through a summer holiday as they bond. However, not everything is going to be as smooth as they would imagine, as they lives are preparing to change.
This is one of the most moving coming-of-age tales you will see. It keeps us close to the small community as each member of the group has their own problems. We follow their summer holiday, where problems come to light and personal decisions help improve their futures. This shows how suddenly life can change and how life takes you in unexpected directions, but the memories you have will stay for a lifetime. Great performances from everyone involved that bring us to the world of growing up in the 90s.
Final Thoughts –Pond Life is a beautiful coming-of-age tale.