Son of Rambow: A Child's View of Filmmaking
Two Boys Vow to Make Their Sequel of Rambo: First Blood
The film tracks the offbeat, hilarious relationship of its two main characters, Will Proudfoot (Bill Milner) and Lee Carter (Will Poulter), as they use a video recorder, tripod and their creativity to create a sequel worthy of acceptance into a young filmmaker’s competition.
Their filming antics include jumping from a tree with an umbrella to jumping into a pond from a tree swing. In one scene they even put a wig on a senile old man and have him portray Rambow’s aged father. From flying golden dogs with a kite to chasing one another with a giant metal scarecrow, their film is born of their imaginations and unfolds in a touching story of the awkwardness of youth.
Overall the film is entertaining and the production of their homemade video is laughable. The story tends to drag as the movie comes to an end, and certain character back-stories are underdeveloped, but Son of Rambow joyfully presents the roots of an untraditional friendship. It was also nominated for four British Independent Film Awards in 2008.
Garth Jennings wrote and directed Son of Rambow. He also directed The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and acted in the British comedies Hot Fuzz and Shaun of The Dead.
Will’s Relationships Are A Foundation in Son of Rambow
Son of Rambow ultimately follows Will as he expresses a passion for art and film despite his conservative upbringing. He slowly rebels against the Plymouth Brethren, his mother’s rigid religion where TV isn’t allowed and the females wear nun head dresses to cover their hair.
Will meets Lee, a misunderstood boy who spends his days filming bootleg movies at the local theater and who is continually punished at school for misbehaving. Soon after they meet in the hallway at school, Lee convinces Will to be a stuntman in his film, a project that later develops into Son of Rambow after Will watches a pirated copy of First Blood.
The two boys grow closer as they work on the film, even cutting their hands to become blood brothers and talking about aspects of their life they wouldn’t normally tell one another. Will and Lee’s personalities differ diametrically but the two resemble each other more closely than they know. Both are outcasts – Will a religious conservative and Lee a troublemaker – and their loneliness is what brings them together.
A French Foreign Exchange Student Challenges Their Bond
Lee and Will grow closer as they film Son of Rambow, but their friendship is challenged by a French student named Didier Revol (Jules Sitruck) who brings prestige to the other boys at school. The highly popular Didier convinces Will to take him on as an actor after Lee is suspended from school after one of their film shoots injures a teacher.
Their homemade film benefits from Didier’s presence, but the growing popularity of the project leads to some disagreements between the two friends and their relationship is tested.
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