The Tyre

A salesman is running late and gets a flat tyre. The tyre roles away sparking memories of when he found a tractor tyre as a boy and set it rolling.

Based on a poem by modern writer Armitage this is a little bit of whimsy that wraps itself up in a message about the innocence of childhood versus grown up stress. The point of the story doesn't quite work, but when the flashback is on with Eccleston reading the poem - it works well. The story doesn't go anywhere but the motion of the wheel and the motion of the words is such that it is compelling.

The performance of Eccleston is wasted in the adult sections however the child actors are all good. Overall this is an inoffensive bit of whimsy - but as a way of enjoying Armitage's poems in a visual media, it's very good.