In the corridor, he meets Lee Carter, the 12-year-old worst-behaved boy in school, thrown out of another class for bad behaviour.

After they accidentally break a fish bowl, Lee volunteers to take the blame in exchange for Will's watch, which belonged to his dead father.

Didier Revol, a popular French exchange student, finds Will's sketchbook and asks to join the film, and Will agrees.

Son of Rambow is a project that Garth Jennings and Nick Goldsmith – collectively known as Hammer & Tongs – worked on for some years.

It was inspired by Jennings' own experiences as a child in the 1980s, when video equipment first became available to the public, and the film recreates the atmosphere of an English comprehensive school of the time, using a soundtrack of both familiar and lesser-known pop tracks from the era.

[8] The film was shot primarily in the English town of Berkhamsted, and the nearby Ashridge Estate owned and managed by the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty Hertfordshire: featuring Ashlyns School and The Rex, a recently refurbished listed Art Deco cinema which had been left derelict between 1989 and 2004.

[9] The film includes a vintage clip of Jan Pinkava winning the BBC Screen Test competition.

The minor role of Danny, an acolyte of Didier, a glamorous French exchange student, is played by Stanley Kubrick's grandson, Sam Kubrick-Finney.

The site's consensus is: "Undeniable heart and charming young leads save the film's nostalgic storyline from suffering at the hands of predictability [sic].

"[13] Desson Thomson of The Washington Post wrote: "We cringe and laugh at -- and are ultimately moved by -- their clumsiness and innocence.

[15] David Morrell, the author who created the character of John Rambo, called it "a tender, charming story".

[23] A stage musical adaptation has been workshopped by Nuffield Southampton Theatres (NST) in association with The Other Palace in London where it was presented from 24 May to 2 June 2018.