WHO’S IN IT?
George MacKay (How I Live Now), Kevin Guthrie (Trash Humpers), Jason Flemyng (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Peter Mullan (Tyrannosaur), Antonia Thomas (Misfits), Freya Mavor (Skins), Jane Horrocks (Corpse Bride), Paul Brannigan (The Angels’ Share)
WHO’S BEHIND THE CAMERA?
Dexter Fletcher (Wild Bill), director; Stephen Greenhorn (Marchlands), writer; Andrew Macdonald (Trainspotting), Arabella Page Croft (Legacy: Black Ops), Kieran Parker (Outpost) and Allon Reich (Dredd), producers; Paul Englishby (An Education), composer (based on music by Charlie and Craig Reid); George Richmond (Wild Bill), cinematographer; Stuart Gazzard (Severance), editor
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
Based on the acclaimed stage play of the same name featuring songs from Scottish pop-folk band The Proclaimers, we follow two young man named Davy and Ally (MacKay and Guthrie) who return to Edinburgh after serving in Afghanistan. There, they must learn how to live life outside the army and cope with family, jobs and relationships – all while singing The Proclaimers’ greatest hits…
WHY SHOULD YOU BE EXCITED?
If ABBA can get a film musical made featuring actors singing their most iconic songs on the big screen, then by God what’s to stop The Proclaimers from doing the same thing?
Twin brothers Charlie and Craig Reid, who make up the folk duo that created hit singles as I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles), I’m On My Way and the one that makes up the title of this film Sunshine On Leith, originally allowed their work to be used for the stage through playwright Stephen Greenhorn’s play of the same name. As you might expect, it turned out to be a huge hit with some critics like those at The Guardian declaring Greenhorn to be a genius “for spotting that the songs of [The Proclaimers] – with all their emotional honesty, sing-along raucousness and political fire – are a true gift to the stage”.
Dexter Fletcher, coming off his own successful transition to film director with last year’s Wild Bill, must have seen the big-screen potential in Greenhorn’s play and thus chosen it for his sophomore directional outing. With Greenhorn also on board to write the adapted screenplay, Fletcher has chosen wisely with Sunshine On Leith because it not only seems like a true feel-good experience for audience but also yet another strong and powerful film in its own right.
As with Wild Bill, most of the lead roles are filled with lesser-known actors with only a handful of recognizable faces in the supporting cast, such as Jason Flemyng and Peter Mullan (and maybe also Antonia Thomas and Freya Mavor, for any Misfits and Skins fans respectively). George MacKay and Kevin Guthrie may not be young actors people will have heard of, but their participation in this film is bound to raise their profiles significantly after its release.
Then, of course, there are the songs of the Proclaimers themselves. Sung with all the enthusiasm and energy of any other standard movie musical, it still aims to shy away from becoming the next Mamma Mia in terms of campy silliness that people will either love or hate. With a storyline that hits closer to home than one might expect, Sunshine On Leith seems to have that perfect balance of sing-along fun and gripping British (well, Scottish) social drama that Fletcher, as a growing director to watch out for, should be immensely proud of.
Not bad for the guy who once was Spike from Press Gang.
