Save the Cinema

Director Sara Sugarman brings to the screen this, based on a true story, film about the attempts to save a local community theatre in Carmarthen, Wales, with the help of Jurassic Park. Samantha Morton plays Liz Evans a local hairdresser, which also uses the local theatre to host her youth choir. When the council led by the Mayor (Adeel Akhtar) decide to back a property developers plans to demolish the theatre, Liz is driven to action to save the theatre. Supported by retired teacher Mr. Morgan (Jonathan Pryce), Mayoral assistant, Susan (Erin Richards) and local postman Richard (Tom Felton) who use the theatres cinematic history to drive a new audience that to it. Topped by trying to secure a showing of Jurassic Park to coincide with its London premiere.

The ironic thing about Save the Cinema is how un-cinematic it is alongside the fact that it is only likely to be seen on streaming services. It feels like a made for TV drama and oddly for something based on actual events seems to have story holes in it big enough to drive one of Spielberg’s dinosaurs through.

Alongside the storyline is a range of paper thin characters, non more so than what Akhtar is given to work with, with the Mayor, only missing a moustache to twirl.

Critisicms aside it’s not a terrible, there is a certain charm to it and in the second half there is a lovely message about the importance of theatres to a local community. As well as a beautifully done scene where the community come together to watch a showing of “How Green is my Valley”.

The main performances are all fine, Morton doing most of the work, but she and the supporting cast do the best they can with a shaky script.

Save the Cinema is unremarkable and un-cinematic. But it is also inoffensive and not without some charm. Perhaps most importantly it does remind you of the importance of the communal experience that is cinema and a film that does that has something going for it. If it’s a wet weekend afternoon and there’s nothing else to watch well there is.