The title, “Son of Rambow,” did not appeal to me when I first heard about this film.  It sounded “artsy,” which was made more prominent by the fact that it came out of the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, where it was a hit.  Although the title was questionable, I kept an open-mind about the film and hoped it would have the same creativity as films such as “Napoleon Dynamite” and “Little Miss Sunshine,” which were also seen at Sundance before their box office releases.  The creativity was in this film without a doubt, but there was little substance until nearly the end of the movie.   

“Son of Rambow” is set in 1980’s England, a time when block cell phones were still in existence (“The Brick” as I would refer to it!), as you will see in the film.  As the movie begins, we are given a first glance at the young Lee Carter (Will Poulter), as he is watching a film in a darkened theater with cigarette and camera in hand (for pirating purposes).  This scene makes us cognoscente of the fact that we are doing the same thing as Carter (minus the pirating): staring at a movie screen and being immersed in the lives of the characters.  The plot unfolds when Carter fatefully meets William Proudfoot (Bill Milner) one day at school, and bullies him into being a stuntman in his film, which he hopes to enter in a contest.  The film that Carter conjures up is based on “First Blood,” and is given more depth when Will contributes his own storyboard to the movie.  In addition to the two boys, French exchange students are also involved in the filmmaking process.  The role of Didier Revol (Jules Sitruk), the most popular French exchange student, was a true gem in this film, from his clothing and boots, to his persona. 

Will is a part of the Plymouth Bretheren faith, which bans him from being exposed to any sort of media.  This censorship makes Will overly imaginative, and he becomes susceptible to finding other means of fulfilling the creative void in his life.  He draws storyboards on walls and makes “flip books” as his only form of entertainment.  Will ironically meets Lee (the mastermind behind the movie project), while sitting outside of his classroom because he is not allowed to watch the documentary film being shown to his peers.         

Self-reflexivity is prevalent in “Son of Rambow”.  We are made to feel conscious of our role as viewers.  This production element, as applied to this film in particular, prompts an appreciation in the audience that we have access to watching film, unlike Will. 

The virtues of friendship, family, and brotherhood are important themes in this film.  The relationship between Will and Lee is heartening and adds meaning to the term “blood brothers”.  The importance of family is of utmost priority, and the movie depicts how families can come together in even the most chaotic of circumstances.   

The 411 Fo’ Reel:  This movie tests your patience, but in the end, as the melodrama unexpectedly unfolds, you will be rewarded.  Either you connect with this movie or you don’t.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 27th, 2008 at 4:11 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.