War clouds in Iran

Young people planning their lives

Everything undone

Monsters come in many forms.

Threads is a docudrama, political commentary, and horror film.

Released by the BBC in 1984, it brought to life the terror many felt about the threat of nuclear war.

The story takes place in Sheffield, England, focusing on a handful of people going about their daily lives: Ruth (Karen Meagher - 28 Weeks Later) and Jimmy (Reece Dinsdale - Life on Mars) - a young couple moving into their first apartment and preparing for a baby, a grandmother knitting clothing for a future grandchild, labor leaders arguing about trade with Europe, kids at a pub drinking and making eyes, and civil servants keeping the lights on and the trash collected.

The background is filled with the sounds of daily life - traffic, pop music, and jets from a nearby NATO base flying overhead. Also in the background are news reports of an escalating conflict between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. in Iran.

Most ignore the news of the world until it explosively arrives in their community, turning Threads from a mildly interesting study of life in a modern English city to an unending trauma bath.

This is a tough movie. Unlike its contemporary American relative, The Day After, which dealt with the aftermath of an attack near Lawrence, Kansas, Threads rips away any hope that humanity will recover from a nuclear war. There are no happy endings in this film.

You can pull out Threads HERE.

Four out of Five Trauma Stars.

🌟🌟🌟🌟

Lighter Post Credit Bonus -

As a BBC film, many of the actors were mainstays on British airways. On interesting example was David Brierly (Jimmy’s dad in Threads), who voiced K9 on Doctor Who.

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