I've watched a lot of films so far this year. Mostly good. Some have been innovative in some way. Others featured mind melting CGI. A few covered what could be called 'important issues'. This film has none of that. It's not a film to decode or perhaps feel inspired by, but nevertheless it's rather wonderful. Mainly for one thing, Saoirse Ronan, who pretty much single handily carries this, although Julie Walters deserves a mention too. That's probably also a disservice to the set designers, wardrobe and I'm sure army of researchers that have helped make this look amazing. Ronan really does command the screen, even in the plots subtler moments and her story is both heartwarming and heartbreaking. It's not going to change your life, but it's 2 hours of very enjoyable viewing.
7/10
