Chris and Toni have grown up together in suburban London in the early sixties. In an age full of angry young men they excel in their rebellion against the values of middle England and dream of the jazz clubs and boulevards of Paris. Trapped in 'Metroland', the suburban sprawl at the end of the London Underground's Metropolitan Line they were the best of friends.
By the end of the sixties both have escaped. Toni has disappeared to Africa while Chris is working in Paris and living with Annick, a liberated young French woman who embodies the freedom he dreamed of as a young man. His early hopes seem to have been fulfilled, but then he meets Marion, a young English girl. He falls in love and returns to London and the suburban life.
Nine years later, in 1977, Chris is happily married to Marion, back in Metroland with a young daughter. Then one day Toni returns from his travels. He has seen the world but has never settled down and cannot believe his friend has fallen into the life they so fully rejected.
Fired by the energy of Punk and the freedom of the seventies, he tries to show Chris that there is still a lot of adventure to be had in life, and that he is too young to settle down. Drawn to his friend, Chris starts to doubt the certainties he has built his life upon and starts to question the choices he has made. Then one night at a party he meets another woman and for the first time puts his marriage at risk.
Based on the book by Julian Barnes, a bittersweet comedy about love and sex and growing up in the 1970s. The hit of the 1997 Film Festival circuit, METROLAND was acquired by Lions Gate Films, released in Europe May/June/July 1998, and in North America late 1998.
Director: Phillip Saville
Producer: Andrew Bendel
Cast
Chris Lloyd - Christian Bale
Marion - Emily Watson
Toni - Lee Ross
Annick - Elsa Zylberstein
US DVD Cover