Origin Pictures, BBC Films, FilmNation Entertainment,
Jim Broadbent, Harriet Walter, Michelle Dockery, Emily Mortimer, Billy Howle, Joe Alwyn, Freya Mavor, Matthew Goode, Charlotte Rampling
Tony Webster (Jim Broadbent) is an elderly retired man, living alone since separated. Tony finds out that the mother of a girl he dated in college has passed away and left him a gift. But the attorney does not have it, but was able to find out that it was a diary. But it turns out that his ex-girlfriend has her mother’s diary and refuses to give it to him. This starts Tony into a long series of reflections on his youth and the choices he made. He starts making excuses to meet with his ex girlfriend who he left on very unpleasant terms and has not seen or spoken about in years. We see the events of his youth in a series of flashbacks, as Tony reminisces on the things that happened and how it has affected his life ever since.
I have long been a fan of Jim Broadbent, one of the seemingly nicest British actors I’ve ever seen. This is the Jim Broadbent show, as this film is right in his wheelhouse and he is really good. Many may not like it as it’s very slow moving, and very carefully thought out and performed. We get little bits of the story that Tony has been hiding all these years, and we find out some shocking events, both to his character, and to us, the audience. This is a very well crafted true to life story that develops a bit at a time, but never reveals too much at once. You have to be patient in getting to the bottom of the whole mystery, but it’s so well made that it’s very much worthwhile to spend the time to watch. If you enjoy great character study movies and are willing to invest the time to get to know Tony Webster, you’ll find this a very worthwhile film.
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