Hunky Dory (2012)

Hunky Dory is set in a 1970's Welsh school where a failed actress, now working as a drama teacher, is trying to bring the spark back to the creativity of the students there. She doesn't feel much like a teacher, and tried her best to inspire the kids and get along with them also, being part of the new generation. This creates a lot of criticism from other teachers in the school of an older generation who feel that what she does has little to no value to the education of the students and should be scrapped. She claims she wishes to put on a musical that both Shakespeare and David Bowie would be proud of, and it was the David Bowie aspect of the story that had me much more interested than the Shakespeare.

I used to hate Minnie Driver. I can't tell you exactly why, I think it was a combination of the fact my sister liked her, and the Phantom of The Opera (which she was in, and I hate). However, then I saw Grosse Point Blank, and suddenly my respect for her grew immensely, not only was she one of the main parts in a John Cusack written/starring film, but she was actually really good in it, and since then I've been willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. I kinda knew this film wasn't going to be groundbreaking, but I thought with some good 70s music and Minnie Driver I could be steered through okay.

What I got from this film was these things, but also a little more. The film, yes, looks at the making of the school musical, but it's also a pretty fair representation of school life (though admittedly through the eyes of a film), so you've got heartache, crushes on teachers, students losing interest and teenage issues. Thankfully, whilst these things are all evident they are never rammed down your throat as too many shows/films about teenagers do, they are merely there and you accept them. The issues of Minnie Driver too are interesting. Integrating herself back into her old town after moving to the big city, trying to get by in a school that seems resistant to her ideas and wishes and basically going against the grain in every way.

The film is shot through the lense of nostalgia, you've got a constant slight blurring of the imagery and a yellow hue to the film which do evoke feelings of the seventies (though I can't exactly tell you why). This is a well made film. Like I suspected, it is far from revolutionary, but for fans of Bowie/Slade/The Ramones and generally any great 70s band, the music and the feeling of the film will win you over and provide you with a pleasant couple of hours, though I'm not certain how likely I would be to return to the film, I was pleasantly surprised upon viewing. So I say give it a rent, feel pleasant, then take it back for someone else to do the same.