Based on real events, Matthew Warchus’ film, although enjoying from the support of an excellent cast, is simply ok due to its overexaggerated feel good and positive nature. Its lack of grit and harshness for both the miners’ and homosexual struggles is undeniable.

In 1984, during the general miners’ strike in the United Kingdom, a small group of gays and lesbians led by Mark Ashton (Ben Schnetzer) set up the Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners “LGSM” group in order to collect money to support the miners’ cause in a small Welsh village.

The movie has two major elements that are susceptible of criticism. One from a positive perspective and one from a negative. Let’s start with the positive, shall we?

This is its acting. With a perfect mix of both already established British stars such as Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton, Dominic West, Paddy Considine and Andrew Scott, and some younger talents like Schnetzer, George MacKay, Faye Marsay and Freddie Fox, the performances by the entire cast are top-notch. Each one of them fulfilling their roles to perfection. Especially Menna Trussler steals our hearts playing the oldest of the bunch: Gwen. The sweet and naïve old woman, who does not know anything about lesbians but, who through her curiousness and slight raunchiness becomes quickly the most beloved character.

Unfortunately, the film seems to exclusively rely on this aspect.

As it has been mentioned, the absence of toughness is quite upsetting. The violence that both these groups (miners and homosexuals) had to endure coming from various fronts, either being the government, the general population, or even their families, seems to be completely overlooked. Some real-life footage on TV for the miners and a rather blurred and softened one towards the gay community is all we get. Instead, it seems like all that strikers do is playing bingo and drinking pints and homosexuals dancing and partying. You do not have to go completely on the opposite direction and show the darkest side of it all if you do not want to, but it simply feels like showing a bit more of that other side of the coin would feel more respectable to those who at the time had to endure that violence as well as, from a cinematic standpoint, it could elevate the emotion of the film, rising its stakes and delivering for a much more punchier ending.

But at the end of the day, although all the negativity sputtered in some of the previous lines, this movie cannot be completely suspended and dismissed. It is clear that Stephen Beresford’s screenplay and Matthew Warchus’ direction wanted to go this way, showing a lighter and more positive side of things. So, considering that and albeit the obvious discrepancies on which should the correct approach have been, this exactly what they deliver thanks to the support of excellent performances making up for a relaxed and soft ride as if you were crossing the Severn Bridge with the van of our protagonists.