In the Middle

Writer and Director: Greg Cruttwell

‘You know those tins of biscuits you get at Christmas,’ says Steve , who has renounced them so as not to be old and fat. In the Middle is a tin of biscuits – the most modest of treats, something to go with a cup of tea on a wet afternoon, a simple pleasure.

It’s about football referees, but not the ones you see standing like Roman orators on Match of the Day. These are the ones who work at grass roots level, men and women in black who get shouted at and sometimes spat at. You can’t have a game without one; for ninety minutes they are Supreme Court judges, and after the game they melt back into ordinary life. They operate in an environment of sub prison-standard facilities, including the weather, with its stingy allowance of sunshine. The location is Surrey, as if re-imagined by Ken Loach. Bone coloured gas works loom over one pitch; water gushes from a broken drainpipe at another. Average pay is £30 a game for a job which involves conflict resolution and picking up dog dirt.

Steve, a retired tube driver, doesn’t care if you’re ‘tall, short ….blue or green’ as long as you behave yourself. Greg Cruttwell has managed to assemble a reasonably diverse group, and allowed them to speak for themselves. There is no commentary, and the referees offer as much information about their circumstances as they chose. At first it feels like one of those encounters with a random stranger on a bus. People speak in cliches and repeat themselves but turn out, as is often the case, to be extraordinarily interesting. At 76, Ron is the oldest. He remembers his first game, in 1959, and his proudest moment, reffing the Sutton United v Tooting and Mitcham game in 1980, when his mum was still alive. He’s an appealing character, with a shy schoolboyish smile. Dele is just starting out. He’s realistic about the extra challenge of being a Black referee: “You’ve just got to refrain from reacting.” Lucy is the world’s first transgender ref. A pink whistle used to be her private token of her true self. She’d planned to relinquish refereeing when she transitioned, but she realised she loved it too much. She did, however, ditch her pest control business because she didn’t want to mess up her hair and nails. Ann Marie puts on a special “referee face”: she looks like a Grand Inquisitor and she uses spooky words like “chastise.” During the week she’s a teacher.

Refereeing looks like a thankless job. We see Ann Marie, who immigrated from Jamaica, booting up on a frost-covered pitch; Dele snatches a quick bite in a washroom; another ref, Cassandra, has been attacked by a young player. Yet everyone featured is passionate about it. What makes the film so compelling is that, without a trace of sentimentality, it is a homage to happiness. All the people featured seem to know real joy. (Note to Marie Kondo fans – Ron probably hasn’t decluttered since 1959). They relish life. Dele takes delight in dressing the part – it’s not all about flappy shorts and long socks – the officials arrive in suits and ties. Lucy makes a living as a taxi driver, but she also runs Trans Radio UK (which she founded) and adores animals. Ron loves church even more than football, but takes pleasure in all kinds of things. “Four sausage rolls – in the miocrowave, and a cup of coffee – it isn’t half nice” he tells us, with such beatific conviction you’ll want to run out to Iceland.

Despite the occasional shouting, this is a quiet film – and just when you’re thinking nothing really happens – something does. Or rather doesn’t. Nigel, an ambitious chap who’s keen to get promoted, speaks dismissively of “these viruses coming out of China.” A self-declared optimist, he expects a cure will be along “in a few weeks.” The next shot is of a closed pitch. At the wheel of her cab, Lucy talks of what she misses. It’s not just the game, it’s “getting the appointments, planning …meeting new people or old friends.” Small, unconsidered things – like a biscuit with a cup of tea – sometimes give the greatest pleasure.

Warning : you’ll need a box of tissues for the end.

In the Middle is in cinemas from 31st March 2023.