It is soon after the First World War and three middle-aged couples gather for lunch on Mothers' Day to celebrate the engagement of Paul (Josh O'Connor), the only survivor of the couples' five sons, the rest of whom were killed during the war. But Paul is late to the lunch, because he is having a last tryst with Jane (Odessa Young), a maid employed by one of the couples, the Nivens (Colin Firth and Olivia Coleman). Running parallel to that story is one set some years later, when Jane is a published author and living with fellow writer Donald (Sope Dirisu), who is gentle and wise in the way sole black characters in this sort of production often are. And running parallel to *that* is a story set many *decades* later, in which Jane has grown into Glenda Jackson and reminisces about her two lovers.
Stories revolving around romantic relationships between the British rich 'upstairs' and their subordinates 'downstairs' are ten a penny - although Jane has more common sense than the usual waif and there was not quite as much nudity in the likes of 'Downton Abbey' as there is here! Many of the characters are two-dimensional - Firth does his uncomfortable upper-class schtick yet again and Coleman also seems to be 'phoning in her performance, at least until an emotional outburst makes the viewer realise there is, after all, some life to Mrs Niven. The constant back-and-forth between the various time periods could have been confusing but director Eva Husson manages to give each one a distinctive tone.
On the whole, an enjoyable film that manages to be comforting because of its predictability.
Stories revolving around romantic relationships between the British rich 'upstairs' and their subordinates 'downstairs' are ten a penny - although Jane has more common sense than the usual waif and there was not quite as much nudity in the likes of 'Downton Abbey' as there is here! Many of the characters are two-dimensional - Firth does his uncomfortable upper-class schtick yet again and Coleman also seems to be 'phoning in her performance, at least until an emotional outburst makes the viewer realise there is, after all, some life to Mrs Niven. The constant back-and-forth between the various time periods could have been confusing but director Eva Husson manages to give each one a distinctive tone.
On the whole, an enjoyable film that manages to be comforting because of its predictability.