Ladies in Lavender (Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Daniel Brühl)

(Amazon UK link)

This film was recommended to us by various friends. I always like Judi Dench as an actress, so it went on my wishlist.

'Ladies in Lavender' is a lovely film about two elderly sisters - brilliantly portrayed by Judi Dench and Maggie Smith. Set in Cornwall in the 1930s, they live alone until a man - who speaks no English - is washed onto the shore near their home, nearly drowned.

There's not a great deal of plot; the film is an exercise in characterisation, and the changes that inevitably take place when two gentle old ladies take an unusual young man into their care. Relationships develop in different ways, powerfully portrayed.

Ideal for a relaxing evening's viewing. Rated 12 (PG-13 in the US) but the only reason we could find for this was a single instance of 'strong language'. However, with little action and plot, it probably would not be of much interest to anyone under the age of twelve or thirteen anyway.

Review copyright Sue's DVD Reviews