My Life So Far 1999

My Life So Far is a little gem of a film which had entirely escaped my notice until this week. The story of a boy growing up in Scotland between the World Wars it stars unknown child actor Robert Norman as Fraser Pettigrew and Colin Firth as his devout and eccentric inventor father.

It is a coming of age story for the young boy and a lesson in humanity for his father, done with sensitivity and a good sense of humour.

Imagine a gorgeous country house in rural Scotland, by a beautiful Loch and then a quirky family as seen through the eyes of a 10 year old boy. A beautiful 24 year old French cellist arrives as the fiance of Fraser's uncle and that stirs things up a bit in the household.

There is a bit of adult content in this film, as Fraser finds his grandfather's stash of "girlie pictures" and books which explain things that pre-adolescent boys want to know, but their fathers aren't comfortable communicating. So...you may not want to watch this with the younguns, unless you want to answer some uncomfortable questions. But it is quite hilarious!

So if you want a sweet quirky film with a truly great ending, you'll love this one. And off I go on my quest to find other period films in need of rediscovering. Until something new comes out anyway!

Cheers!

P.S. This film is based on the memoirs of British television executive Denis Forman under the title of either Son of Adam or My Life So Far but unfortunately they both seem to be out of print.