‘These early friendships are huge romances’: Extra Geography’s lessons in teenage love

Rose Tremain, together with the actors and filmmakers behind a new adaptation that moves her 1950s narrative to the early 2000s, reflect on the depth of these youthful connections and discuss why the tale remains timely.

A few years back, Rose Tremain was asked what her greatest letdown was. Her response? The movie version of her novel Restoration. Even with a Hollywood-sized budget, Robert Downey Jr. and Ian McKellen among the cast, and a couple of Academy Awards, it turned out to be “a mess.” Speaking from her Norfolk residence, Tremain is far more positive about a new British film adaptation of her semi-autobiographical short story Extra Geography, set in a 1950s boarding school and originally released in 2007.

“I’ve been really thrilled with this entire venture,” she remarks, still sounding a bit astonished. Tremain is full of praise for the screenplay, crafted from her elegant five-page story by playwright and Succession writer Miriam Battye. During their initial meeting, Battye assured her it would easily shift to contemporary times: “I found that incredibly gratifying,” Tremain says. “It’s not just some little artifact from my past. It holds significance today.”