Wish You Were Here

"Some people march to the beat of a different drummer. Lynda’s got her own brass band."

1987 1h 32m EN

😐

6.4

MID

★6.4TMDB · 78

ComedyDramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In a staid English seaside town after the Second World War, young Lynda grows up with her widowed father and younger sister. Rebellious Lynda has been swearing constantly from an early age. At sixteen, she becomes more exhibitionist and seeks out sexual encounters challenging the prevailing lower-middle class attitudes to sex.

“Some people march to the beat of a different drummer. Lynda’s got her own brass band.”

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Cast

Emily Lloyd
Lynda Mansell
Tom Bell
Eric
Jesse Birdsall
Dave
Clare Clifford
Mrs. Parfitt
Sheila Kelley
Joan Figgis
Trudi Cavanagh
Tap Dancing Lady
Barbara Durkin
Valerie
Geoffrey Hutchings
Hubert Mansell

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: David Leland
Writers: David Leland
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

39 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by David Leland, shot by Ian Wilson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Stanley Myers. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor George Akers shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Emily Lloyd and Tom Bell and Jesse Birdsall carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Some people march to the beat of a different drummer. Lynda’s got her own brass band.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0094331 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 78 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

David Leland directs. Ian Wilson behind the camera. Stanley Myers scores. George Akers cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

139 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Directed by David Leland, shot by Ian Wilson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Stanley Myers. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor George Akers shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Emily Lloyd and Tom Bell and Jesse Birdsall carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "Some people march to the beat of a different drummer. Lynda’s got her own brass band.".
7IMDB entry: tt0094331 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 78 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
9Classified under 9 themes, including "england", "rebel", "pregnant minor", "based on true story".

The technical file

Cinematography: Ian Wilson
Original score: Stanley Myers
Editing: George Akers
Production design: Caroline Amies
Costume design: Shuna Harwood
Makeup / hair: Jenny Shircore
Runtime: 92 min · 1h 32m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Wish You Were Here (1987)

Also by

David Leland

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2024-09-10
★ 6/10
Emily Lloyd coming-of-age in early 50’s Britain A precocious teen in a seaside town of southern England becomes aware of her power over males while flouting conventions, which doesn’t help her relationship with her rigid father (Geoffrey Hutchings) and keeps getting her in trouble, which she finds amusing. "Wish You Were Here" (1987) is a period piece and coming-of-age flick. It’s been listed as a comedy, but it’s not. It’s a drama with humorous touches counterbalanced by the hard facts of life. The meshing of lighthearted bits with sober elements is interesting and true-to-life. Emily was only 16 years-old during shooting while one of the guys she is drawn to, Tom Bell (Eric), was 53. It’s no surprise that she’s drawn to someone her dad’s age because she’s desperately seeking a father’s love, despite her outward spunk. I don’t take the movie as supporting any particular issue, but rather as a character study of a certain type of person, in this case a female. It’s also a commentary on society’s curious mores at that particular time and place. What’s an individualistic person to do, especially when s/he sees glaring hypocrisies and injustices? Don’t despise the girl for the questionable things she does. Remember, she’s only like 16-17. We’ve all done rash, foolish or disrespectful things in our teens. Then we grew up. I’m pretty sure that Lynda will be growing up real quick by the end of the film. The title seems odd and probably kept it from greater success. It refers to the protagonist missing her mother, who died when she was 11. She was close to her mom, but obviously not her dad. It runs 1 hour, 28 minutes, and was shot in Worthing and nearby Bognor Regis (to the west), which are about an 85-minute drive due south of London. GRADE: B-
CinemaSerf2025-05-30
★ 7/10
If you can imagine what Britain was like immediately after the end of WWII, then you can picture the grey and drab world inhabited by the sixteen year old “Lynda” (Emily Lloyd) who lives with her dad and younger sister. Her mum died many years earlier leaving her to develop quite a few of the traits more readily attributed to men. She swears like a trooper and when it comes to sex, well she doesn’t intend to let the grass grow. That said, though, after some more routine action with cocky busman “Dave” (Jesse Birdsall) she isn’t remotely prepared for a relationship with a much older friend of her father - “Eric” (Tom Bell), nor for the consequences that ensue for their dalliances. This is one of those observational films that showcases the exuberance and irresponsibility of youth whilst clearly illustrating just how skin deep the faux confidence we probably all exuded at that age actually was. Add to that scenario a rather more responsible sister (Chloe Leland) and a loving but largely out of his depth father (Geoffrey Hutchins) and we see a young girl in the throes of temperamental adolescence that it’s hard not to like nor sympathise with - even if she has a masters degree in vulgarity. It’s an engaging story of humanity, warts and all, with some pretty spot on observations on sexuality, femininity and the mores of a time when it was perfectly acceptable to do as I do, not as I say. Lloyd carries this really quite well. Her joie-de-vivre tempered, gradually, by a sense that she will just have to grow up as best she can and like with so many of that period - as like now - that’s no walk in the park. I did like the conclusion, it rather summed up her situation, attitude and is not a simple sweep under the carpet job. Worth a look.