Eileen O'Brien Movies

Pat O'Connor directs this tranquil version of the J. L. Carr novel, adapted for the screen by Simon Gray. The film concerns two emotionally scarred men recovering from the horrors of World War I during an idyllic summer in the English countryside. It is 1919, and war veteran Tom Birkin (Colin Firth) travels to the small English village of Oxgodly to restore a medieval church mural that is hidden under coats of plaster. At the same time, another war veteran, archaeologist John Moon (Kenneth Branagh) is exploring the nearby fields trying to uncover an ancient church grave. As they toil away in this placid environment, their emotional war wounds are gradually healed, and they come to terms with their problems. Birkin finds himself falling in love with Alice Keach (Natasha Richardson), the wife of the local vicar, while Moon finds himself learning to deal with his homosexuality. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

In this standard story about a father searching for his missing teenage daughter long after others have given up, there are a few subplots, such as a woman looking for her own missing son, but attention focuses on the father's search. When he does find his daughter safe and sound -- working in a car rental office -- he cannot believe she just ran away and does not want to come home. After their initial encounter, the question of why she left in the first place is raised for the first time. Given that this film doggedly moves in a steady pace from one scene to the next, excitement is also a missing entity here. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi