Funny / Threads

Yes, as relentlessly dark this film is, it's home to at least some moments of hilarity.

• The conversation at the start of the film where Jimmy's brother Michael keeps asking what an abortion is, oblivious to the fact he's just let his older sister know that Jimmy's knocked up Ruth.
  • A darker example comes a bit later when Jimmy's father is building a makeshift bomb shelter.
    Michael: We'll be able to sleep in it! It'll be like going camping!
• One minor Black Comedy moment. Two soldiers have caught some looters stealing food.
  Soldier 1: [Indicates towards crisps among the loot] What flavour are they?
  Soldier 2: Prawn Cocktail.
  Soldier 1: Aye, they fucking would be!
• Jimmy's father has the misfortune to be on the lavatory when the bombs start falling, causing him to pull up his trousers with a succinct "Bloody hell!"
• Jane's pierced ears. It's nice to know that even in a post-nuclear apocalypse world, no girl or woman ever goes out without some sort of jewelry adorning them.
• An anti-war protester gets into an argument with a heckler. "Don't call me unpatriotic! I've been trying to get us out of the Common Market for bloody years!"
  • Also Harsher in Hindsight considering the UK has since left the EU (which evolved from the Common Market) having voted to do so in 2016.
• Earlier in the film, it's mentioned in passing that traffic wardens will be conscripted to keep the peace should there be a nuclear attack. Later in the film, four weeks after the attack, there's a detention camp set up for people caught looting the houses of the dead. Who should be guarding the prisoners but a traffic warden?
  • While only bleakly funny, there's a bit of Narm to one of the prisoners shouting:
    Man: I'm buggered if I'm gonna be shot by a traffic warden!