I thought I knew exactly what I was in for having watched the trailer of Their Finest but Lone Scherfig’s movie left me baffled and unsure what to make of it probably because of the shocking and unexpected ending.
The ending is either a stroke of genius or completely uncalled for but either way Their Finest can only be described as excellent.
Gemma Arterton is Catrin Cole the newly appointed scriptwriter for a propaganda film to boost morale at the height of the Blitz.
She is hired to write the ‘slop’ or in today’s language girl talk.
The prim and proper Mrs Cole soon finds herself loving her role as she fights to break the damsel in distress cliché in cinema and in her own life.
As she struggles to find her way in a world threatened by Adolf Hitler and make a movie which would rally the troops Catrine finds herself falling in love with Mr Buckley, the archetype 1940s toff played brilliantly by Sam Calfin of Hunger Games fame.
Meanwhile Bill Nighy (Love Actually, Doctor Who) plays Ambrose Hilliard an actor who has gone past his sell by date and is cast as Uncle Frank the drunken sailor who recalls the horrors of the Great War.
Mr Nighy is so good he is in danger of stealing the spotlight and making it all about Ambrose but Their Finest is cleverly written and uses his character so that he is charming rather than irritating.
Joining the cast is Richard E Grant, Rachael Stirling and Helen McCrory.
Their Finest is heart warming, hilarious and strangely thought provoking and meaningful.
I’m still puzzled about what I think about it because of its shocking ending but it left me thinking about the courage of ordinary people in extraordinary times.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Rated: M
Distributor: Transmission Films
In Cinemas Now
