‘Bonus Track’: London Review

Dir: Julia Jackman. UK. 2023. 98mins

In the challenging environs of a Yorkshire secondary school, two 16-year-olds from very different backgrounds — one a geeky loner, the other hugely popular — develop an unlikely friendship that leads to romance. This well-worn plot has been the basis for myriad teen romcoms and, although these two protagonists are male, there is not enough here to distinguish Bonus Track from the pack. Yet two charming lead performances, and a largely positive depiction of adolescent homosexuality — although perhaps not entirely realistic for its 2006 setting — should chime with its intended teen audience after a LFF premiere.

Buoyed by two charming lead performances

Marking the feature debut of short filmmaker Julia Jackman, Bonus Track is the third feature from Erebus Pictures following Neil Haskell’s Klokkenluider and Luna Carmoon’s Hoard. Sky has UK rights.

The film is also notable for giving a central role to Joe Anders, son of Kate Winslet and Sam Mendes; something which may also help word of mouth. Anders plays George, a music-obsessed teen who, as evidenced by a disastrous parents evening, is on course to fail every one of his GCSEs — even music. (Ray Panthaki gives one of the film’s funniest turns as condescending music teacher Mr Zeppelin.) All George cares about, however, is performing in the end of year talent show; he is sure that if people would just listen to his music, they would recognise his talent. Fantasy sequences show him performing on stage, adored by everyone.

It is clear that George is desperately lonely, and Anders brings a scruffy, relatable charm to this shy, mild-mannered young lad who does not fit in with the cool kids — that is, until the good looking Max (Samuel Small from TV’s So Awkward and The Nest) arrives. Max is the son of famous musicians who are going through a very public divorce, and he immediately hones in on George, perhaps seeing something of a kindred spirit. Soon, the two are hanging out regularly, making music together and tiptoeing around an obvious romantic attraction.

Ignoring the fact that, at age 22, Small is clearly too old for the role — not to mention imbued with a slick, ego-less self-confidence that is rare in any 16-year-old boy — the chemistry between him and Anders (who, at 19, just about gets away with playing a GCSE student) works. There are endless cliches on their road to romance — mixed messages, musical montages, disastrous dates (with two girls, one of whom immediately clocks George as gay before throwing up her bright blue WKD) — but the two actors manage to capture the vulnerabilities that come with opening yourself up to someone else, particularly at such a delicate age. 

In other areas, however, Bonus Track is less convincing. While production design captures an early 2000s feel — flip phones, cassette tapes — the film’s wider aesthetic and dialogue choices do nothing to suggest this story is taking place in Yorkshire almost 20 years ago. Aside from a couple of schoolyard slurs of “bender” and “gay”, there is also nothing to suggest the challenges a young homosexual couple would face; 2006 is only three years after the repeal of Section 28, and the same year the British High Court refused to acknowledge same-sex unions as marriage, only civil partnerships. It is as if George and Max exist in a bubble, where their parents, teachers and peers are all unanimously rooting for their perfect romance. (Literally, in the film’s cringingly euphoric talent show scene.)

Perhaps that is the point; this is, after all, a romantic comedy. Aside from a couple of teary moments, and a half-baked subplot involving the failing marriage of George’s parents Jeffrey (Jack Davenport) and Julia (Alison Sudol), Michael Gilbert’s screenplay — drawn from a story he created with The Crown star Josh O’Connor, who appears in a small cameo — keeps things light and upbeat, with plenty of moments of humour sprinkled amongst the familiar teenage angst.

Cinematographer Jonas Mortensen’s sunny framing also errs on the optimistic, as does the soundtrack, with tracks like ’Teenage Dirtbag’ and ’Dry Your Eyes’ giving the film’s chapters their narratively appropriate names. We have seen hundreds of heteronormative teen movies where the loved-up couple heads off into the sunset, living in the moment and unconcerned about tomorrow; why shouldn’t George and Max enjoy the same happy ending?