“By the end of the feature I felt like a proud parent…”
Airing at the BFI London Film Festival, Hunky Dory is a film about the apprehension and impracticality of putting on an ambitious stage play at a Welsh secondary school. Something the film can also relate to, as, despite its amiability, perhaps attempted to take on too much itself.
Marc Evans production follows the story of a drama and music teacher Vivienne (Minnie Driver) who is desperate to put on a school play, featuring all of the students who are set to depart the school that summer. Set in Wales in the 1970’s, Vivienne wants to adapt Shakespeare’s The Tempest, yet include a host of popular hits, from the likes of Davie Bowie and Electric Light Orchestra.
The film is fun, charismatic and charming, and despite it’s quite simple premise, attempts perhaps a little too much within the film. It’s a feature that could excel within its simplicity, but attempts to delve into the life of too many of Vivienne’s pupils.
Of course it is imperative to get to know many of the students, and the romantic storyline between Davey (Aneurin Barnard) and Stella (Danielle Branch) is endearing and important to the story as it allows for Vivienne to intervene and show off her relationship between herself and her pupils, a key factor in the making of such an ambitious play. However, too many of the kids are focused on, and it becomes quite complex, trying to remember who fancies who, who has fallen out with each other, and which of the characters are in the play, and who they are playing.
However, despite the film attempting to look into the personal lives and emotional aspects to each part – which certainly proved too much for it to bear, I did feel that the characters emphasised had depth to them. Especially Davey, and the troublesome character of Kenny (Darren Evans). Much of this was down to the fact the film managed to capture the quite feebleness and naivety that comes with young love, and the dynamics of juvenile relationships.
It’s a feel good film about the ambitions of one teacher and her faith in students that perhaps had not been given such confidence before. However, what must come with such a story is an element of cheesiness that the film struggles to shake off. In parts it’s delightful, yet in other it does become rather drippy and clichéd.
But it’s a universal story, and it works, and that’s all that matters. It was touching at times, and there was a real desire to see Vivienne come out on top and succeed in her aspirations, defeating the social stereotypes induced upon her students by various other teachers at the school, all of whom are also sceptical and unconvinced by her efforts.
It’s a real nostalgia trip (its sepia tone gives the film a very 70’s feel) and bears an impressive soundtrack, even if the songs are performed by the actors rather than using the original material. However, fortunately the kids are all very talented at playing, giving a quite charming and alternative take on such hits.
That however, is one of my biggest concerns with the film, that the pupils at the school are all so talented. There are countless students taking part in the play and all of them have seemingly mastered their musical instrument of choice, or they are incredible singers. That’s quite idealistic, and to further such a sentiment, the film barely shows any of the successful rehearsal sessions and you have to question how and when the students perfect the quite intricate and challenging production.
But despite any apprehensions, by the end of the feature I felt like a proud parent, and I also haven’t stopped listening to Electric Light Orchestra since. What?
