Beautiful Thing

Jamie Gangel (Glen Berry) is a teenager who is bullied by his classmates due to his introverted nature and dislike of football. He lives on a council estate in Thamesmead, a working-class area of south-east London, with his single mother, Sandra, who is preoccupied with ambitious plans to run her own pub and has an ever-changing string of lovers; the latest of these is Tony, a neo-hippie. Sandra often clashes with Leah, a sassy and rude neighbour who has been expelled from school, takes a variety of drugs, and constantly listens and sings along to her mother's Cass Elliot records. Jamie is secretly infatuated with his classmate and next-door neighbour Ste Pearce, who is frequently beaten up by his drug-dealing older brother and alcoholic father.