Swallows and Amazons

In 1930s England, four siblings spend their summer holidays with their mother in the Lake District. Bored by the quiet routine of the season, John, Susan, Tatty and Roger long to sail out to an island in the middle of a large lake and camp there on their own. Their mother eventually agrees, and the children set off aboard the Swallow with supplies. Once on the island, they find signs that they may not be alone, and they soon fall into a rivalry with another group of children, the Blackett sisters, over who truly owns the place. What begins as a contest gradually turns into cooperation as the children learn about friendship, courage and looking after themselves.

The film is directed by Philippa Lowthorpe, her second feature in the chronological list of her work, following Sex, the City and Me and preceding Misbehaviour and H Is for Hawk. Andrea Gibb wrote the screenplay, and the cast includes Dane Hughes, Orla Hill, Teddie Allen and Bobby McCulloch as the four Walker children, with Seren Hawkes and Hannah Jayne Thorp as the Blackett sisters. It is a British production from BBC Film, The Electric Shadow Company, British Film Company and Harbour Pictures, running 97 minutes.

On TMDB it holds a rating of 6.3 out of 10 from roughly 100 votes, a modest response suggesting a small but engaged audience for this family adventure.