Arguably one of the nicest coming-of-age films to be released over the last decade or so, Cemetery Junction beat out competition from the likes of Saw and Jennifer’s Body to make our pick of the week.
Revolving around the character of Freddie Taylor and his circle of friends who grew up in a sleepy suburb in Reading, the film tells the story of young love, lost innocence and growing up through the different characters’ personalities and their families.
Directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, the film was perhaps expected to deliver a nice story but also bring plenty of laughs. Thankfully, it sidesteps the obvious expectations and just makes you fall in love with it a little.
Although Freddie is the most typical of the group, falling in love with his boss’s daughter, eagerly awaiting his opportunity to go see the world, it is Bruce Pearson played by Tom Hughes who really delivers on his performance. Dealing with a father who has a drink problem while putting to the back of his mind the departure of his mother, Pearson blames himself and everyone around him for what happened in his youth.
Although the script is mediocre, it’s the cast that really pulls the entire project together and we can promise you the final scenes will melt your heart a little. It’s most certainly one to check out.
Cemetery Junction will air on BBC1 this Sunday the 12th at 23.55.
