Aimee Lou Wood’s ‘Film Club’ Prioritizes Style Over Substance in BBC Three Drama
The new BBC Three drama, Film Club, premiering Tuesday, October 7th, presents a visually arresting, yet ultimately shallow, exploration of agoraphobia and connection, starring Aimee Lou Wood, known for her roles in Sex Education and The White Lotus. Created with Ralph Davis, the series centers on Evie, a character whose elaborate cinematic recreations within her Manchester garage are far more compelling than the narrative surrounding them.
The premise is intriguing: Evie, played by Wood, is largely confined to her mother’s house following a nervous breakdown, finding solace only in weekly movie nights with friends. However, it’s the sheer spectacle of her garage transformations that immediately grabs attention. Each screening is a one-woman Secret Cinema experience, meticulously crafted with thematic detail. For Alien, the space is draped in tinfoil and hazard tape, filled with smoke and industrial lighting. The Wizard of Oz receives a vibrant, emerald-toned makeover, while The Shawshank Redemption inspires a makeshift prison environment. As one observer noted, the level of dedication to these sets feels distinctly “unBritishly wasteful,” more akin to American extravagance than typical British home décor.
Evie’s domestic life is populated by her sister, Izzie (Liv Hill), and her mother, Suz (Suranne Jones), who is described as “excruciatingly try-hard,” desperately attempting to maintain a façade of normalcy. The arrival of news that Evie’s closest friend, Noa (Nabhaan rizwan), is moving to Bristol triggers a panic in Suz, fearing the loss of Evie’s primary social outlet. This leads to a comically awkward attempt at positivity – a prosecco toast accompanied by the reading of a deeply depressing poem Evie wrote as a child. The scene highlights Jones’s established talent for portraying “twitchily anxious” maternal figures.
Despite the potential for a compelling narrative, Film Club struggles to deliver substantial emotional depth. The series flirts with the tropes of a romcom, hinting at a connection between Evie and Noa, whose conversations are almost entirely composed of movie quotes. However, their chemistry feels “patchy,” with Rizwan delivering a characteristically understated performance while Wood appears more “irritated” than enamored. A subplot involving Evie’s boyfriend, Josh (Adam Long, Wood’s real-life partner), further complicates matters, presenting a character who is ultimately “too good to be true.”
The most authentic relationships, surprisingly, are found within the family unit. A particularly memorable scene involving a frank discussion about tampon sizes – Evie’s blunt assessment: “Fine Izzie, I’ve got massive, wizened 28-year-old flaps” – evokes the darkly comedic tone of Kat Sadler’s sitcom, Such Brave Girls. However, this potential for sharp, dysfunctional humor is ultimately sidelined, as Film Club leans towards a more sentimental approach.
Comparisons to Mike Leigh’s Life Is Sweet are inevitable, given the shared themes of domesticity and awkwardness. Yet, where Leigh’s film builds to moments of profound emotional resonance, Film Club “retreats into sentimentality.” The series offers little insight into the root of Evie’s condition, with the character herself simply stating she “malfunctioned” and “lost the plot.” Her passion for film is presented not as a coping mechanism, but as a long-standing obsession, predating her mental health struggles.
Ultimately, Film Club isn’t a story about mental illness, a love story, or even a celebration of cinema. It’s a series focused on a garage in Manchester, and the extraordinary lengths one woman goes to in decorating it. The show’s strength lies in its visual creativity, but its narrative shortcomings leave it feeling ultimately unfulfilling.
