Metroland

Metroland is a 1997 British comedy-drama film directed by Philip Saville and starring Christian Bale and Emily Watson. Written by Adrian Hodges, based on the 1980 novel Metroland by Julian Barnes, the film is about a man whose tranquil and ordinary life is disrupted by the sudden reappearance of his best friend, which leads him to remember his rebellious youth in Paris, to question some of his life choices, and to re-evaluate his priorities and marriage. Plot In 1977, Chris (Christian Bale) and Marion (Emily Watson) are leading a peaceful married life with their child in Eastwood in the London suburbs known as Metroland, the staid commuter region at the end of the London Underground's Metropolitan Line. Their stagnant life is disrupted by an early morning phone call from Chris's childhood friend Toni (Lee Ross), who has returned to England after several years of travelling through Africa, Europe, and the United States as a bohemian poet. Years before, the two shared a dream of escaping boring suburban existence to live in avant-garde splendor in Paris. Toni's return sparks memories in Chris about their wild days in Paris in the late 1960s. Disillusioned with the life he's chosen—having abandoned his youthful passion for photography for a steady job as a London banker—Chris takes long walks at night, making lists in his head of things for which he should feel grateful. Feeling that something is missing in his life, Chris sees in Toni the person he could have become—a free spirit living a vagabond's existence without worries or responsibilities. Toni outspokenly criticises Chris for his acceptance of a middle class life, a mortgage and a nine-to-five job. One night, Chris goes to a punk rock club with Toni who gets him stoned on cannabis. Envious of his friend, Chris begs Toni to reveal his secret for happiness and Toni responds that it's doing what you want, not what others want. With his dull and tranquil marriage, Chris increasingly obsesses on the past. He rediscovers naked pictures of his former French girlfriend, Annick (Elsa Zylberstein), and in the coming days he thinks back to 1968 when they were in Paris. He remembers taking on the persona of a French beatnik with a hatred for all things English. His French fantasy was interrupted when he met Marion, who was holidaying in Paris with some friends.