Beautiful Thing (1996)
this delightful, feel good movie is a blend of fantasy and realism... there’s a warmth and generosity in the telling of this urban fairy tale that won me over. ” Margaret Pomeranz, The Movie Show
Thornbury Picture House is celebrating PRIDE MONTH with Hettie MacMdonald’s Beautiful Thing (1996)
Set during a long, hot summer on the Thamesmead Estate in Southeast London, three teenagers edge towards adulthood.
Jamie Gangel is bunking off school more than usual, scurrying back to the TV and the flat in the vast Thamesmead estate where he lives with his mother Sandra. Next door lives Leah who’s been kicked out of school and spends her days listening to Mama Cass records. Also in the same block is Jamie’s classmate Ste, sporty and athletic, but who nevertheless receives regular beatings from his father and brother. Jamie and Ste gradually discover their affection for each other.
This debut feature from Hettie MacDonald (Normal People) is an essential queer time capsule from the late ’90s – blends the realities of the time with young queer joy and fantasy, and is soundtracked by the music of Mama Cass!
- Rating
- MA15+
- Duration
- 87 MINS