Hard Road

The tenth feature from the Children's Film Unit centres on the adventures of two bored and disillusioned 13-year-olds: working class Kelly (Camillo), an incessant liar whose favourite pastime is winding up the Children's Help Line about her so-called abusing father; and quiet, withdrawn Max (Rennie), a poor rich kid with a fondness for faking suicides. Kelly persuades Max to take the driving seat (of a scarlet 1959 Ferrari he is due to inherit when he's 17) for an illegal spin round the countryside, where the joy of new-found freedom eventually has them settling Crusoe-style deep in the Sussex undergrowth. Although some children will find the pace a trifle slow at times, it's still easily the CFU's best work to date: technically proficient (especially bearing in mind that most of the production team are well under 16), and with shining performances from the children.