Dir. Bruce Webb, UK , 2009, 99 mins
Cast: Eugene Byrne, Josh Bolt
Review by Carol Allen
Teenage boys’ obsession with sex and their desire to experience it is well worn comedy territory. But there’s a poignancy to the subject in this comedy drama in that 15 year old Robbie (Bolt) is suffering from a fatal heart condition and he desperately wants to lose his virginity before he dies. It’s a bit tricky though, as he’s confined to a hospital bed, so the only person who can help him is his best friend Ziggy (Byrne).
Much of the comedy comes from Ziggy’s efforts to find a willing female to oblige, which result, among other things, in him being beaten up by a girl he propositions at school and getting caught up in a raid on the local brothel. But greater love hath no boy than for his best friend, because the mainspring of the story is the strong bond between the two boys and their often salty, Liverpool accented dialogue, which is often hilariously frank. But always lurking underneath is their and our awareness that there is a grim deadline to Ziggy’s quest.
Director Webb steers the story along the line between comedy and imminent tragedy with great skill, never losing sight of the reality of the situation or allowing the underlying poignancy to sink into mawkishness. Byrne and Bolt are inexperienced actors but they both give lively and spontaneous performances which are totally convincing. There are also strong supporting performances from Bryony Seth as one of the girls Ziggy approaches and Liza Tarbuck as the strict but kindly sister of Robbie’s ward, who becomes party to it all.
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