Films about growing up and being an awkward teen seem to be the domain of US teen films in the 1980s. However, another film from the 80s, this time from Scotland, also captured the mix of hormone and daftness that is the teenage years, the film – Gregory’s Girl looks better, sweeter and funnier every year that passes.
I’ve written about Bill Forsyth, the director of this film before. He had a wonderful touch, feel for emotion and nearly always managed to hint at the magic realm that might exist beyond the ordinary.
This is a lovely film about a teenage boy in love with a girl who plays football in the school team. John Gordon Sinclair is perfect as Gregory, and the girls he meets are also very good. This is an innocent film, and it had a big influence on my own teen webseries Dylan Ogden.
Forsyth eventually gave up filmmaking and now stays out of the limelight. Maybe he’d said all he had to say, or maybe the magic finally got him…
So, 7 films to go…
Matthew Cooper has written for most of the UK soaps, including writing episodes of Emmerdale, Eastenders, Hollyoaks and Family Affairs. Matthew was winner of the Lloyds Bank Channel Four Film Challenge, the Oscar Moore Screenplay Prize and has been BAFTA shortlisted and Royal TV Society nominated. He’s been a script consultant and script writer for hire for over 20 years. You can find some of his broadcast credits on the IMDb.