Derek Jarmans 1987 film came out the same year as John Boorman's Hope And Glory, yet while both deal with themes of childhood, war and the state of Britain, Jarman eschews Boorman's quaint nostalgia for an all-out barrage of avant garde images of conflict and desolation.
With sound and production design, editing and photography which set out to alienate and disturb, Jarman mars his brilliance by making his almost wordless film often unwatchable and the message unintelligible.