Play for Today: The Flipside of Dominick Hide (1980)
Season 11, Episode 8
8/10
Gentle drama, beautifully acted
24 May 2006
Like some of the other 2006 comments I just watched this on BBC4. I had seen it when it was first shown, and again when it was shown with "Another Flip" (which will be on in a few days as I write this), but as far as I know I haven't seen it since. However, it made enough of an impression that I remembered most of the plot. I watched it with some trepidation; I was 18 in 1980 and I'm a lot more critical now than I was then.

However, I found myself still drawn in. It's hard to say why exactly; the plot is not that original and is anyway fairly simple. Also it was obviously made on a shoestring, anyone expecting a Hollywood scifi blockbuster will be sadly disappointed. In the end it's just very well-written and well-acted, at least by the principles, some of the minor characters are a bit less believable. And there are lots of small touches, if you listen carefully to the dialogue and watch the background.

I'm not ticking the spoiler box so I won't give the plot away, although this isn't really something for which spoilers are relevant, the pleasure is in the details. Suffice to say that it's basically a somewhat unusual love story, with a lot of humour and some science-fiction elements. As a film it would probably attract the "chick flick" label, but I'm a man and I still like it :)

I've given it 8/10 only because, in the end, there isn't that much depth to it, but on its own terms it would rate 10/10.
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