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It’s based on the true story of AA Milne, author of the two books about Winnie-the-Pooh and two books of children’s poems. We knew very little about the author before watching this. It’s entirely possible that there were inaccuracies or artistic license taken. But the extras at the end, and a little research done today suggest that, in essence, the film is very true to life.
Young Will Tilston is the star of this film, as the young Christopher Robin. It was his first role in a film, yet he is entirely believable. But the story starts shortly before he was born (after an initial sequence showing his parents, rather older, receiving a telegram). Alan (Domhnall Gleeson) and Daphne (Margot Robbie) are the parents concerned, known to all as Blue and Daff. Alan has just returned from World War I, without physical injury but with quite serious post-traumatic stress. This gives him flashbacks and terrors that his wife finds difficult to deal with.
Daphne is delighted to find that she is pregnant, but the birth is traumatic. She doesn’t know what to expect, and she is devastated to give birth to a boy. She’s terrified that he will go off to war one day, and refuses, at first, to bond with him. Alan isn’t at all sure what to make of the baby either. His handling is amusingly awkward. And when the baby is six weeks old, the parents go to Italy for a holiday without him, leaving him in the care of his new nanny, Olive (Kelly Macdonald). It seems shocking to us in the 21st century, but was evidently not unusual for a hundred years ago.
Christopher Robin is known as Billy Moon to his family and nurse. He has quite a happy childhood, cared for very well by Olive. He is given many gifts by his parents, including large numbers of stuffed animals who are the inspiration for Winnie-the-Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore and the rest. Daphne likes to play with her son sometimes, and is very good at animal voices. But she’s a socialite and quite selfish, and much more interested in having fun. Alan is a writer who has felt blocked since the war. This causes a great deal of tension between him and Daphne, particularly after they move out of London to the countryside.
Circumstances force Alan to take more notice of his son and the two of them start to bond in some quite moving scenes. Christopher Robin asks his father to write a book for him, and is thrilled - at first - when the book takes shape, illustrated by his father’s close friend Ernest (Stephen Campbell Moore). The film becomes lighter as they play ‘Pooh-sticks’ on a bridge, climb trees and play games in the woods.
The first book, when published, is far more successful than anyone could have imagined. It caught the imagination of the UK public, and eventually the rest of the world. It’s explained as a kind of childhood innocence, something that people are longing for after the horrors of the war, and the resultant depression and widespread starvation.
Then the press get involved, wanting photos and interviews. Olive tries to protect her charge, but Daphne is keen on publicity. As becomes gradually clearer, her son is something of a pawn, drawn into more and more public appearances. As this happens, he feels less and less as if his parents really care for him.
His teenage years are shown only briefly, with some horrendous bullying. Fame has done him no good at all with his peers, and he emerges from school a bitter, angry young man (played extremely well by Alex Lawther). He then signs up for the army, at the start of the second world war, and we don’t know what the outcome will be until almost the end.
It could have been a depressing story. But it’s extremely well made, with acting so realistic that we were drawn right into the film. Our emotions were tugged, feeling for Christopher Robin who really only wants to be loved. He comes across as a thoroughly nice, caring child who is willing to do almost anything if it will make his parents care.
As well as being an excellent film, it was eye-opening as far as the real AA Milne and Christopher Robin were concerned. I had not really thought of them as three-dimensional people before, nor what fame of this kind might have done to an impressionable, cute and young-looking child. Indeed, I hope that the young actor will not suffer in a similar way for his instant stardom.
‘Goodbye Christopher Robin’ is rated PG, which is fair, but not necessarily helpful. There’s nothing ‘adult’, nor any nudity, and only the very mildest of bad language. But there are some quite gruesome war shots, and some other scenes or moments that could be disturbing to a young child. I wouldn’t really recommend it to anyone below the age of about twelve.
However, the scenery is gorgeous, the settings realistic and the pace exactly right to hold our interest without racing through the story. All in all, we thought it a wonderful film. There are ‘extras’ with brief cameos of some of the main actors and a bit more background, which we enjoyed watching afterwards.
Highly recommended to adults and teenagers, though it may change the way you think about AA Milne's children's books in future.
Review copyright 2020 Sue's DVD Reviews
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