Man Baby-A Deliciously Dark Comedy At Lumiere Cinema.

By Ruth Kettle-Frisby – Guest Writer and Community Activist

Ruth is passionate about fostering positive change within the local community and regularly contributes insights and stories to The Havering Daily.

Man Baby is an ambitious and deliciously surrealist dark comedy, with a redemptive message of hope. 

Paralysed by fear of the unknown, blinded by the glare of clinical head-lights – and deep in a multi-layered rabbit hole of an existential crisis – life is getting pretty real and it’s not waiting for David’s deeply suggestible psyche to catch up.

Poor David – who is accustomed to the comforting whiles of nihilistic oblivion, and wary of the unknown – is literally separated from himself. He finds himself being forced to re-evaluate his life, and having to make the ongoing changes needed to grow into a fully fledged first-time dad, amidst pressure to conform to traditional societal stereotypes of masculinity and meaning.

Divian Ladwa is wonderful as David; his softly-spoken deadpan delivery being simply perfect for the role. Beneath the chaos, his character is endearingly likeable as he injects all-too relatable human frailty into a terrifyingly self-conjured circus of the macabre. 

In a Mighty Boosh meets The League of Gentlemen sort of way, the element of horror is expertly tempered with charming, cheeky and unpretentious visual symbolism, including Matisse-esque cut-out animation. And you’ll never guess who he ends up naming his son after!

I was lucky enough to meet Divian Ladwa himself, and to interview him:

Hi Divian, it’s such a pleasure to meet you and to watch Man Baby. Like many, many others, I loved you in The Detectorists, written and directed by Mackenzie Crook. How did that extraordinary series impact your career, and are you drawn in particular to niche British comedies?

There is a career before Detectorists and the one after. BD/AD. Before, I was working in small scale theatre and rarely being seen for TV or commercials. I used to do plays in schools, theatres, prisons, old homes. It was very hard work albeit rewarding. However, a far cry from my dreams of being in movies. After Detectorists, I was being seen for more work and even now at an audition or on a TV job, a director would say how much they loved the show and be chuffed that I auditioned or accepted the work. In truth, I am the grateful one for the opportunity. It’s a complete contrast to life before the show when I struggled like many actors to even get a look in. I’m actually more drawn to dramas. It’s funny, Lion, which was nominated for 6 Oscars, didn’t have a similar impact for me as Detectorists.  

I will definitely watch Lion now, and I love your BD/AD distinction! What struck you most about the script when you agreed to play the leading role of David in Man Baby?

Aside from the uniqueness, comedic absurdity and the layers under the immaturity that you have perfectly analysed above, I would say other reasons include the main event taking place on the very first page and by page two, you’re off to the races. I also liked that there was no exposition for the film’s surreal elements. For example, in Little Shop of Horrors, no one explains why Audrey 2 comes alive the way it does. Most scripts I read have too much exposition and in the world of cinema, we can watch this instead of being spoon fed it. I was also introduced to the project by the producer Syd Heather who pitched it really well to me.

I couldn’t agree more, particularly with the surreal: there’s almost a destructive irony that occurs – like explaining a joke. What was it like working within the wondrously labyrinthine yet charmingly grounded imagination of writer and director, Philip Hardy on Man Baby and would you be keen to work with him again?

I think we made a good team. We both puppeteered Graham, taking turns so at times it felt like a partnership. I knew he had confidence in me which is really helpful as well as generally nice to know. He’s not as odd as his imagination, thankfully. It would be fascinating to see what he comes up with next. 

I would love to see the outtakes! I must say, I found Man Baby refreshingly validating. It’s hard for young men – including those who are neurodivergent – who grow up with low self-worth, compounded by little in the way of emotional nurturing as is unfortunately customary. This in turn can be frustrating for women who find themselves managing an arguably unproductive, yet fairly socially acceptable trope of the immature male personality, particularly when life steps up a gear or two in the adulthood stakes! Do you think there’s hope for real-life man babies?

Although I’ve never studied psychology, I have been looking at the work of Adler, and there is a case that anyone can make a change in themselves if they wanted to. It is interesting what you say about this behaviour being socially acceptable. We place an unfair demand on women but when men are challenged or questioned, we throw our toys out the pram. I’ve noticed men call other men weak when there’s a disagreement or rejection. I find it fascinating for someone to be so easily dismissive. I guess it’s easier than the alternative of looking at yourself. 

Wise words, indeed. Which aspect of filming was most fun, or will stay with you?

I really like the small scenes with a couple of characters where I am simply talking in a reflective way. I often play parts that have a short bit of dialogue and then essentially become a background role. With Man Baby, there were plenty of moments where I got to surf through a scene with all the detail I prepped for, finding different beats and tones and just play with the other actor, human like Kerry Fitzgerald or… other.  

Finally, what’s next for you in your exciting career? 

I shot a film last year called Spider Island. It’s also a horror comedy. This time, I am the absurd one. A character a little on the wild side. I’m not sure when it comes out, but hopefully it will be this year.  

If, like me, you have a fascination for the bizarre, and are willing – not only to suspend quite a lot of disbelief, but to find unexpected profundity in the absurd – I couldn’t recommend Man Baby more.

You’ve got just one more day to see it at our own independent cinema, Lumiere in Romford:

https://www.lumiereromford.com/movies/man-baby

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