Son of Rambow has already wowed the critics at Sundance and is poised to win the public’s hearts when it’s released next week. Adam Richmond meets the director, Garth Jennings, and finds out how war can be quite pleasant really

It starts with kids playing in the woods. As all good things do, boys tearing through a sun-soaked, rose-tinted past, muddy sticks transformed into guns, clumps of dirt serving as grenades, the flecks of shrapnel sticking on your lips, invisible foes dying at your feet, a band of brothers screaming bloody murder till it’s time to go home for beans on toast and Dogtanian.

So it was for a young Garth Jennings, but then something happened that made his war games that bit more fun and a bit more real. He saw First Blood and it blew his tiny little mind. “It was the first film that I saw that I wasn’t supposed to see and it was phenomenal. Here’s this one guy running around the woods with just a stick and a knife. He was so inventive and self sufficient and that was so impressive. That was why we ended up making action movies based on that.”

As part of Hammer & Tongs (with Art college friends Nick Goldsmith and Dominic Leung) Jennings has been behind some of the best music videos of the past decade – including Blur’s Coffee & TV (sweet milk carton searches for his girlfriend) and Supergrass’ Pumpin’ on Your Stereo (the band as long-legged puppets). Kicking around ideas for a feature film Jennings told Nick about his misspent youth trying remake First Blood with his friends in the woods. Nick was hooked and Son of Rambow was born. It would be the perfect first film – a small, low budget coming of age comedy drama. Well, it would have been the perfect first film if they hadn’t have been offered the chance to direct Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. It was a dream gig they could hardly turn down. The resulting film was a colourful mess bursting with ideas that didn’t please everyone, but did solid box office and marked Hanmer & Tongs out as guys with a real vision and unique sensibility. Not expecting much Garth and Nick took a look at their Rambow script.“We were convinced that we weren’t going to like it any more. That with fresh eyes it would disintegrate into a meaningless vanity project. But the great thing was we loved it even more.” Garth notes.

Even better, they’d picked up some vital experience that they would put to good use on Rambow. Garth elaborates, “I guess we did things the wrong way round – our big film first and then the small indie one. With Hitchhikers we inherited all this studio stuff, all these people, and it just made things slower and harder to get what we wanted. So it was nice to go to this small film and get rid of all those unnecessary extras. We could shoot faster. It was much more hands on and a much more dynamic set.”

Getting the money men to pony up the dough for Son of Rambow was a trail in itself. The British film industry could not be sold on the concept and it left Jennings scratching his head. “I’m baffled by the whole thing. It was just so tricky to get this made. People just wanted us to make stuff with robots or weird puppets. Just before we pitched it a film called Millions had come out [Danny Boyle’s film about some kids who find a million pounds] and it didn’t do very well at the box office, so everyone after that equates kid films with failure. I can’t figure out the logic of that.”

It’s hard not to share Jennings’ confusion, especially given the glut of shite gangster films and dull period pieces that have become Brit staples. Salvation came in the guise of a French backer, and after a quick, trouble free shoot it was off to show the finished piece at Sundance. It blew everyone away and showed Garth and Nick that the film worked. For Jennings the Sundance reaction was everything. “Now I’m not too bothered how much money it makes. I’ve taken it round all these film festivals last year and the response was so amazing, it’s had this little release, and it worked and it’s done what we wanted it to do.”

Its refreshing outlook and place it has in people’s hearts is unsurprising. Jessica Stevenson, who plays Will’s mum, makes no bones about it, “I think it’s a classic. Seeing it, they’ve surpassed my expectations. I really think it’s one of the best films I’ve seen in a long time, certainly one of the best British films.”

Jessica Hynes on Son of Rambow

…the role

It’s more dramatic role, but it’s a one off I think. I love comedy, that’s what I’ve always wanted to do. Writing stuff for myself, because it’s hard to find comedic roles for women. The people who write, they tend to be male, so unless you write for yourself it’s really hard to find comic roles.

…the film

This kind of project, they don’t happen very often, because they’re so close to what Garth and Nick wanted to make, and they stuck to their guns and protected it. They fought off interference, they kept its heart. To be a part of that, it’s great.

…the script

It was all there in the script, Garth’s direction of action. The way the film’s crafted, it’s told visually, that’s Garth’s strength. He’d thought about scenes so clearly and it was all there on the page. How he wanted to capture the moments, he knew how to do that visually.

…the writing

I am writing a comedy at the minute for a production company. It’s hard facing down the people with the purse strings, contending with their suggestions. On the one hand you respect them and want their money, on the other you think I’ve spent a lot of time on this, I know what it needs. Garth’s been through the same thing, the struggle to get this made. You give them a bit. It’s an exciting road.

Spaced doesn’t make it any easy. You have to inspire people’s confidence with your idea and stick with that. It’s hard. You get drained, but once you’ve captured someone with the idea, you’re away then..

… on Spaced

Working on Spaced with Simon and Edgar, one thing I really wanted was to have a Goonies reference and Simon said no one would get it. I felt he was so much older than me at that point! Everyone loves the Goonies. Everyone. We argued back and forth “They won’t get the reference, they will get the reference.” It’s the Chunk, when Chunk puts his hand in the food mixer, but Simon just said no. Big mistake. I’m going to have to get him to admit that.

We were thinking about doing a spoof of Cloverfield. Do a little Cloverfield trailer, with the Statue of Liberty head falling in the garden. I don’t know though. I would love to do it.