Not long ago, Ray (Nicholas Ball) was an actor at the top of his game - but then a scandal (that's never specified in the movie) broke and he had to go into hiding in some British village in the middle of nowhere, a place he doesn't enjoy too much, but him being a man way past his prime, he can't be choosy. And heck, at least the local pub's landlady Linda (Rula Lenska) is partial to him. And Linda has a granddaughter, Hope (Olive Wilson), who might be just 12 years old, but she wants to be an actress as well, so he takes her under his wing, actually takes her to London to her first audition, and also thanks to him she kills it. And once they're back in the country, they've become fast friends. Now everything that's going on between them is 100% on the level, but given their age difference, rumours soon emerge, and it's not long before "concerned citizens" start taking action, destroying both Ray's life and Hope's ...

Now of course, the film's premise - the relationship of a 12 year old kind and a retirement-aged man - almost automatically raises red flags, and rightfully so. But that said, the film's on one hand totally aware of that and wraps its story about the topic, but on the other just tells a really sweet story about friendship - and that said, I'd totally suggest to watch this film with a hanky, as it's a bit of a tearjerker, though not so much because it goes all in for kitsh but because it just tells a heart-felt story, devlivered by a first rate cast and suitably subtle directorial effort. Which in sum makes this just a really good drama that's well worth a watch or three.

review © by Mike Haberfelner

 

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