The film follows Ben (Andrew Gower from The Village) and Mark (Matthew McNulty, Misfits) who meet in hospital whilst having treatment for cancer and become inseparable best friends. 

Dealing with their daily health issues, the boys make light of their situation as a coping mechanism and from nude jaunts around the hospital to snarky quips, the lads do anything to take their mind off their condition.

The film then jumps forward as we see how things have changed in 20 years. Mark is now a respected doctor, yet Ben does a menial job and has various aspects of OCD which impact his life.

However, Ben’s cancer unfortunately returns and Mark dig deeps to help his friend despite Ben’s reluctance to accept support. The two actors work very well with their respective personas – Mark’s confident hard-drinking exterior contrasts well with Ben’s internal struggles.

And Mark thinks the best way to help is to throw his friend’s life into disarray by challenging Ben’s colleagues, selling his possessions and unsettling his carefully planned rituals.

How someone deals with life-changing news is very much at the fore of Running Naked. The cycle of acceptance is hinted upon from denial, anger, depression and bargaining. And the film pushes these aspects to the extreme for comedy purposes, as the duo clash with police and throw ultimate caution to the wind during their adventures.

Running Naked is very much a Midlands production, being filmed in locations such as Stoke-on-Trent and Wolverhampton. And whilst Victor Buhler, Jennifer Knowles and Michael Knowles are credited as co-writers, the film specifically draws on Jennifer Knowles’ own experience as a cancer survivor.

This personal angle is infused in the film with its heartfelt and sympathetic situations. And although for me the film never really generated any huge belly laughs, the gentle comedy certainly balances the right tone between the serious issues of dealing with terrible news and the humorous fondness, and struggles, of friendship.

The film’s structure continues this duality with regular flashbacks to the younger duo, whose light-hearted take on their condition is sincere and understanding. Rather than being in denial, the fun they tackle life with shows an often-universal need for lightness during a crisis. 

As the pair continue in the present, they cross paths with Sara (The Tudors’ Tamzin Merchant) who bonds with Ben and joins their journey of discovery. Regrets, lies and commiserations are all explored, and we also see Mark apologising to his partner Jade (Rakhee Thakrar) to make amends for previous behaviour.

Mark and Ben disrobe from the trappings of the modern world, and they begin to focus on the more important and often simpler things to find a fulfilling life. But the film also has a hidden truth that twists the tale in the third act. A role-reversal that I won’t spoil it here, the secret is a bit obvious but it’s also an emotional hit between the friends (and audience) when finally revealed.

There is an understandable sadness in the film but at its core the movie is a positive and life-affirming tale of friendship where warmth shines from the screen throughout. An unclothed and honest look at self-discovery in the face of devastating circumstances, Running Naked is a tender triumph that cleverly shows how support and laughter is a very much needed medicine.