This charming, poignant and well-acted Scottish drama - the first feature from director Shona Auerbach - is quite a tearjerker. Lizzie (Emily Mortimer) is a single mum who is trying to protect her deaf son Frankie (Jack McElhone) from the truth about his abusive father and why they've run away from him. Constantly on the move, the boy continues to correspond by letter to his supposed father, but all is not what it seems.
His mother has invented a story that his father is away at sea, and she collects the boy's letters and fakes the replies. But with his father's boat about to dock in their new hometown on the Scottish coast, his mother must decide whether to tell Frankie the truth or find someone to play his father.
Powerful performances all round, especially from Mortimer and Gerald Butler, the man who pretends to be Frankie's dad.
Recommended.
Did you know? Gerald Butler has since gone on to bigger-budget movies, including playing King Leonidas in 300. He picked up a number of awards for this role, including "Action Star of the Year" at the Taurus World Stunt Awards and "Biggest Ass Kicker" at the 2007 Spike TV Guys' Choice Awards.
(4 Star)
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