Of course, it is all a matter of personal taste. However this film captures the painful endurance of Leo as his country collapses towards war, a rigid society faces its own internal turmoil and Leo is stripped of his innocence before he is ready.
Set during a blistering summer before the First World War in which Leo stays with the wealthy family of a schoolfriend, the story revolves around Leo's new acquaintances amongst the adults of the family and their circle of socialites (his friend is confined to bed with measles). Leo is drawn into acting as a messenger between Marian and Ted Burgess, a local yeoman farmer.
Beneath the surface is a compelling tension that encompasses Marian, her suitor (Viscount Trimmingham), Ted Burgess and Marian's mother. All of this is witnessed by Leo who has to deal with his burgeoning but still confused understanding of the situation and his own schoolboy affections for Marian.
The story boils to a climax when the oppressive summer finally breaks and the dramatic revelations violently alter the course of personal lives, society and England.
Set during a blistering summer before the First World War in which Leo stays with the wealthy family of a schoolfriend, the story revolves around Leo's new acquaintances amongst the adults of the family and their circle of socialites (his friend is confined to bed with measles). Leo is drawn into acting as a messenger between Marian and Ted Burgess, a local yeoman farmer.
Beneath the surface is a compelling tension that encompasses Marian, her suitor (Viscount Trimmingham), Ted Burgess and Marian's mother. All of this is witnessed by Leo who has to deal with his burgeoning but still confused understanding of the situation and his own schoolboy affections for Marian.
The story boils to a climax when the oppressive summer finally breaks and the dramatic revelations violently alter the course of personal lives, society and England.