By Roger Crow/@RogerCrow

Actor Michael Paré talks about his new horror movie Reborn, and discusses decades of working on films such as Eddie and the Cruisers, and Streets of Fire.

Hi Michael. How have you been coping with lockdown?
“Oh I’m okay. In the business you spend a lot of time alone either in a hotel or at home waiting for the phone to call. I run, I don’t drink or get high or smoke. I’m pretty healthy. I read and I’ve been baking… baguettes. If you can make your own bread and soup you can live a long time.”

I enjoyed your new film Reborn. How did you get involved?
“John Penney (executive producer) was partners with a guy I worked with, another director Brian Yuzna, who wrote Honey I Shrunk the Kids. We spent three months in Indonesia making a horror film, and he gave John my contact. (Director) Julian (Richards) sent me the script and it kind of went from there.

“It was a lot of fun to work on. I like horror-sci-fi. A great genre, and it had a great cast. It was just amazing, and Julian and I got on right away because he knew I wasn’t going to make a mess of anything. I know the character and it’s a great story.”

And great to work with scream queen Barbara Crampton?
“Oh yeah. What a great girl. Right after that or just before it we did The Puppetmaster: The Littlest Reich. She’s another horror icon; professional; excited. It was a great experience. And Kayleigh (Gilbert) was amazing. So focused.”

I love Streets of Fire. What are your memories of working on that 1984 rock and roll fantasy?
“Oh gosh. I was so young and so inexperienced. I remember almost every day. I was in Australia working on a period piece. My agent sent me the script and said ’You’ve got this. You’re going to do this’.
“I went from Eddie and the Cruisers, which was a really arty thing, and this period thing from the 1920s. I get to Hollywood and it’s this enormous production. There was Diane Lane and Rick Moranis, who are like big stars, and (director) Walter Hill and (cinematographer) Andy Lazslo. It was a really impressive group of people, and I was 24 years old!”

It would be nice to see your character Tom Cody in a sequel
“Yeah. I spoke to Walter Hill and Larry Gordon about it, and they just don’t know who owns the rights. Which is odd because… come on guys. You made it. It would be a phone call to make to figure out who owns the rights. But nobody knows so they don’t wanna do it I guess.
“Somebody tried to do a sequel and they didn’t have the rights so consequently they couldn’t release it.”

You’ve been incredibly prolific. Have you had a day off in the past 35 years?
(Laughs). “I think somewhere along the line, I was going to make the movies that people wanted to get made. Instead of saying: ’I want to make some abstract, obscure little story’… I want to adapt Long Day’s Journey Into Night in outer space. I think it’s important to feed the audience. We are entertainers. We are in the entertainment business.
“I go to the Actor’s Studio and work on classic theatre there; it’s good to stay in shape as an actor. Jason Robards said: ’If you’re going to pay my mortgage and put my kid through college, I’ll only do the movie you want me to do. But if you’re not, I’ll only do the movies that are getting made’.”

What’s your favourite film or films you worked on?
“There’s about 20 I loved working on. There were some that were fun to make in exotic locations and stuff like that. You meet a lot of wonderful people.

“My first time where I moved from being a supporting actor in a TV series, Greatest American Hero. I had a contract to do 17 out of 22 episodes for two seasons. I thought that means I only come on for one or two days per episode, which is really not much, but when I did Eddie and the Cruisers, I got bumped to leading man, and I was still only 23 years old. Once you start playing leads it becomes a whole lot of fun.”

Final question: if you could give yourself a piece of advice at 20, what would it be?
“Don’t get married so often (laughs). Or if you do, don’t get divorced so often.
“I’ve been married for 27 years; I have a great son and everything is fine, but it took me the early part of my career to realise that it’s all about the work, and appreciating and relaxing into it.”

:: Reborn will be available on Digital Download from 4th May and DVD from 11th May.

Starring John-Paul Howard, Piper Curda, Jamison Jones

Directors Brett and Drew Pierce

Certificate 15

By Roger Crow/@RogerCrow

Contrary to what the title suggests, The Wretched is anything but. It’s a creepy little chiller which slots together like a piece of flat pack furniture. Tab A dovetails with Slot B. The cast, including John-Paul Howard, Piper Curda and Jamison Jones are efficient and don’t carry loads of baggage, and the effects are suitably… well, effective.

The plot is also simple: a defiant teenage lad, coping with his parent’s pending divorce, clashes with an ancient witch, who is living beneath the skin of and posing as the woman next door.

Yes, that old one. While the whole thing is expertly crafted, I wanted more from the slick production. It ticks over, but there was nothing super original about it.

Maybe it’s the fact I’ve been watching horror films for many decades that this feels so by-the-numbers. I didn’t really care about the likeable characters. Parts felt like Jaws 2; fresh-faced teens and their shenanigans at a coastal resort don’t really generate many thrills. But if you’re new to the horror genre, there’s just enough shocks to keep you hooked.

At 95 minutes it’s just the right length, but I could have done without that final scene which sets up a potential sequel. It’s inevitable that directors the Pierce brothers might want to come back with a chapter two, but while this chiller in the Blumhouse mould yearns for the money-spinning success of The Conjuring movies, it just feels a bit redundant.

And while that score is pretty good, there’s just too much of it. Telling viewers what to think at all times tends to annoy rather than inform. Less is often more, as any tension boils away when the viewer is told what to feel. So a good watch that ticks many boxes, but veteran horror fans may be a tad bored after that shocking opener.

Verdict 7.5

Starring Barbara Crampton, Kayleigh Gilbert, Michael Pare
Directed by Julian Richards
By Roger Crow/@RogerCrow

Fashion seems to go in 30-year cycles, which may be one of the reasons Reborn (shot two years ago) feels like a horror film from 1988.
Barbara Crampton is a treat as Lena O’Neill, the B-movie actress whose daughter was apparently stillborn 16 years earlier. However, we all know that’s not the case as in the first few minutes, during a grisly autopsy, the fate of our young antagonist is revealed.

Remarkably actress/acting coach Lena hadn’t delved into her daughter’s demise, leaving plenty of time for detective work as her path crosses with Tess Stern, a mysterious young woman who helps her seek closure of her lost child.
Michael Pare (a favourite in Streets of Fire) does a good job as the crime buster drawn into the mystery and there are a few good jump scares. However, it’s the bitchy undertone which is perhaps most rewarding. From the snarky acting agent (Rae Dawn Chong) to the miffed wannabe starlet, characters make snide comments and then you wonder whether they’ll make it to the closing credits as the teen with special powers unleashes her rage.

Yes, Reborn owes a homage to Carrie and Firestarter. That closing scene is remarkably similar to one Stephen King-inspired classic. But there’s no pretence here. It’s a solid nuts and bolts thriller which adheres to the usual horror rules, and makes the most of its modest budget.
Genre fans will enjoy spotting a nod to Ms Crampton’s previous horror classic From Beyond, and director Julian Richards does a good job with the screenplay.
Kayleigh Gilbert also deserves a mention as Tess, the obligatory tormented anti-heroine who helps sell the premise.
Though the editing could have been tighter and one seasoned actor should have been replaced, this is an enjoyable enough diversion to take your mind off the real world horrors unfolding daily.

Script 7
Cast 7
Direction 8
Soundtrack 8
Editing 7
Effects 7

Carl Strathie and Charlette Kilby are the team behind Yorkshire-made films Solis and Dark Encounter. They discuss their next movie; working during lockdown, and choose which franchise they’d rather work on: 007 or Star Wars.

By Roger Crow/@RogerCrow

Hello Carl and Charlette. Is the lockdown allowing time to fine tune your next movie, The Evil in Me?

Charlette: Hi. It’s weird because more time (for preparation) is always preferable. We were literally in a position to start shooting. We still have two more cast members to cast, allowing us to spend more time with people we have the offers out on. And if they say no, we have more time to rethink and re-cast.

Carl: We pushed (back) a month, so we were going to shoot in June. We’re now going to shoot in July. But obviously that might push again. I might talk to a few of the cast members we’ve got already, because you worry about things going stale. Our production designer might do a polish on some of the sets. All we’ve got to do is build is the interior of a house. I might send the DP (director of photography) links to films to watch and I’ll send him storyboards so he can maybe do an early shot list of his own, and I can go over it with him on Skype. Then I might work on (the script for) film whatever it is… film four.

What can you tell us about The Evil in Me?

Carl: It’s about a trio of women who are trying to apprehend a serial killer who taxidermies his victims.It’s a serial killer movie; it’s a psychological thriller; there’s a horror element. It’s like Silence of the Lambs, Prisoners and What Lies Beneath. There’s no supernatural element or sci fi. It’s set in the real world. We can’t talk about the cast just in case an actor can’t do it.

David Stone Hamilton’s scores are phenomenal. Are you working with him again?

Carl: Yes, we’ll hopefully always be working with David. That’s another thing I’ve been doing, having lots of chats with David and have been sharing soundtracks and certain pieces of music. David is actually very close to nailing what the soundtrack will be. That’s nice to be able to do to marry up the themes, because obviously the music is the soul of the film. Some actors like to hear the music, and when I tell them it’s actually a sketch piece from David who will be doing the score, it gives them confidence.

Cinematographer Bart Sienkewicz is also very gifted. Is he back on board?

Charlette: Yes. We’re just trying to get as many people as we had on Dark Encounter on this really. Carl: Dark Encounter was very ’Ambliny’, so it probably still has a bit of that (Spielberg) vibe, but a lot more real world.
Where it set, whats the period and where are you shooting?

Carl: We’re setting it in America again. I suppose we’re going for that New England way again. We don’t know where we’re shooting yet, but it’s set in present day.

It must have been a quantum leap going from the one actor and one set of Solis to a bigger project like Dark Encounter.

Charlette: Yeah, we went straight into pre-production while we were still in post for Solis. It was such a big leap. In the beginning we had a bigger budget than what we anticipated, but one of the investors fell through, so we had to do a lot of creative jiggery with the script, because it was a lot bigger than what Dark Encounter is. There were extra characters, loads more scenes, and a different storyline as well.

Carl: For me, personally, Dark Encounter was like a dream in terms of film making. I can die happy now. That’s why I’m happy on set all the time because I’m grateful for anything that I get to do.

How are you coping with lockdown?

Carl: I get asthma, and I never quite recovered when I was ill on Dark Encounter. I can’t take in as much oxygen as I used to. We’ve decided if one of us gets it, I’ll probably get it.

Charlette. I don’t feel a lot’s changed really. We live in a state of semi-isolation anyway. Going to Tesco… down here, we’re only allowed one person, per household, per trolley. So I’m like the hunter-gatherer. I know what to get to survive. It’s like Mad Max going to the supermarket. You have to don all this equipment to keep yourself safe. It’s really scary. I don’t like it. It gives me anxiety.

Hypothetical question: Lucasfilm offers you Star Wars: Episode 10 on the same day you’re offered the next 007 movie. Which do you go for?

Carl: I love Star Wars much more than James Bond, but I want to see Bond go in a different direction now, because we’ve had Daniel Craig real-world stuff. I’d get Michael Fassbender, and do an old school James Bond; a film set in the sixties. Really back to old roots. Star Wars I prefer though. That’s the only reason I’m here (as a film maker).

Charlette: Yeah, it’s an opportunity to cover new ground with Star Wars I feel. When that happens you have a Gareth Edwards (Rogue One) situation. I’ve heard the Ian Fleming estate is quite controlling in terms of creativity. Sam Mendes said it was gruelling to work on Bond films because of their control over the material.

Final question: you can have a few films or TV shows for a desert island. What would they be?

Carl: The episode of Lost when they build a raft (laughs). Jurassic Park, The Shining, or Lord of the Rings as a whole. They’d keep me happy.

Charlette: Definitely Death Becomes her, which is my favourite film of all time. Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, because that makes me happy. Mad Max: Fury Road, and Silence of the Lambs. I love the chemistry between Clarice and Hannibal Lecter. I could watch those two all the time.

She lives in a man’s world and she really knows her stuff, but she’s afraid to say it. I love the scene in the autopsy room and she says to the cops: “Go on now,” and they look at her as if ’We’re being told by a woman!’ They all just reluctantly leave, and I just love that. She just wants to get on and do her job and I feel that.

Carl: Yeah, she’s on the verge of becoming an FBI agent, and with you being a film producer (on your first movie)… Solis was your Buffalo Bill.

:: Solis can be seen on Netflix. Dark Encounter is on Amazon Prime.

Starring Maryam Hassouni, Mike Beckingham, Nigel Barber

Director Andy Newbury

Certificate 15

By Roger Crow/@RogerCrow

Oh my days. Where to begin with The Host?Well, let’s start with a fact: it helps if you know absolutely nothing about the Anglo-Dutch thriller. Which obviously will make this review tricky, so let’s just say: imagine if one of Hitchcock’s best movies was remade with a nod to a classic Sondheim musical; a torture porn thriller such as Hostel, and shot like a dreamy 1970s Euro melodrama.

That gives you some clue of what to expect. It also helps that the cast don’t carry a lot of baggage, aside from Derek Jacobi, who tops and tails the yarn. A nice role for him at least; he gets to sit down for the duration and was probably on set for a day.

We open with Robert Atkinson, a feckless London banker who pinches a load of money from work; gambles in a casino; loses (inevitably), and is offered a shady job to pay off his debt. Said assignment involves a trip to Amsterdam, where things take a sharp left-hand turn when he winds up at a hotel which seems too good to be true.

For any normal person, alarm bells should be deafening at this point, but Robert’s a bloke who trusts in the kindness of strangers, bless him. Which is nice in the real world, but here? Not so much.

After about an hour, events take another twist, and his equally nice-but-dim brother is called in to find his missing sibling. Now while most of the cast do a good job, one of the actors is just okay. He lacks the gravitas to make the part work, which partly comes down to bad casting, and partly poor editing.

The movie could have been a lot snappier, and some of the dialogue isn’t great. Having said that, the fact I was pretty hooked throughout is testament to the storytelling.

While it owes a HUGE debt to Psycho (the story structure is almost identical), there are enough other curveballs to keep you watching. And while the finale is rather annoying, with a closing scene so nails-down-a-blackboard predictable, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t ’enjoy’ it.

A better script, a couple of cast changes and tighter editing, and this would be a far better movie. It’s an intriguing diversion that could have done with losing 10 minutes, but as long as you don’t expect too much, it works wonders.

:: The Host is released on VoD from late April 2020

Starring Gerard Butler, Danny Huston, Jada Pinkett Smith

Directed by Ric Roman Waugh

Certificate 15

“If I can get a contract for your special lobster…” remarks Danny Huston in the third part of Gerard Butler’s “Has Fallen” saga. You may remember Mike Banning from 2013’s Die Hard in the White House thriller Olympus Has Fallen. That was the weaker of the two similar dramas from that year. White House Down being the gloriously bonkers superior popcorn fest.

Then we had London Has Fallen, which saw Banning shooting just about everything with a pulse in the smoke. Sadly there’s no “special lobsters” in this offering, which sees Banning on the run after a spectacular drone attack on POTUS Morgan Freeman.

There is some mumbled dialogue however and a bad guy who may as well have a sign over his head in the first few minutes saying ’Generic Villain’. Naturally Mike survives (because he’s possibly invincible), and following a hijack (which feels lifted from Line of Duty series two), we embark on a remake of The Fugitive. There’s just enough time for some father-son bonding as Mike grabs quality time with grizzly Nick Nolte, whose appearance turns up as a surprise to absolutely nobody.

There’s also no shock that gruff old Clay Banning is an explosives expert, leading to many fireworks in the First Blood section. Do yourself a favour and turn the sound off before the first explosion (around the one hour mark), then play The Prodigy’s Firestarter on your smart speaker.

The mumbled movie dialogue is utterly forgettable so you’re not missing anything, but it makes a humdrum pyro scene a lot more enjoyable. Morgan Freeman gets to sit most of this film out while Desperate Dan, sorry, Mike Banning kills everyone who looks at him a bit funny. Except his dad of course, who looks like Uncle Albert from Only Fools and Horses.

I felt no empathy for anyone in the movie, except Banning’s kid, who looks genuinely distraught towards the third act. I’m guessing she read the script, which actually sounds like it was written by a five year old.

There is one good stunt involving a grenade towards the end, but that and the drone strike aside, this is so by the numbers, you’d wish everyone had given up after 90 minutes.

If you want to see how this sort of thing should be done, watch the first three series of 24, which is light years ahead of the sub-standard potty mouthed tosh on display here.

At a time when distancing is more important than ever, best to keep your finger at least six feet from the Angel Has Fallen ’play’ button at all times.

Starring Ed Skrein, Patrick Wilson, Dennis Quaid
Directed by Roland Emmerich
Certificate 12A

I’ve been a fan of Roland Emmerich’s work since he made Stargate in 1994. However, it was Independence Day two years later that really made me a hardcore fan. That over-the-top sci-fi spectacular featuring breathtaking effects at times felt like Top Gun, Star Wars and War of the Worlds. Which was of course the point.
The fusion of great ideas somehow worked, and though Godzilla was savaged by the critics in 1998, I enjoyed his take on the well-worn giant lizard saga.

During the 1990s, Emmerich had wanted to make a drama based on the Battle of Midway, but couldn’t get the funding, so he pressed on with assorted other projects.
Eventually Midway did see the light of day, and it turns out to be an often thrilling, old fashioned adventure which feels a lot more balanced than the good looking mess that was Michael Bay’s Pearl Harbor.

It follows the US Navy sailors and aviators who persevered through the Battle of Midway, a turning point in the Pacific chapter of World War Two.
One of the storylines centres on naval aviator Ensign Dick Best (think Maverick in Top Gun) and the Air Group of the carrier Enterprise. The other involves intelligence officer Edwin T Layton (think Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan and you get the idea).
While the screenplay may get a little muddled at times, Emmerich comes up trumps with the stunning effects scenes.
I’m no wartime history expert, so I asked someone who is what they thought of it: Alan Allport, Associate Professor of History at Syracuse University.
“I couldn’t follow it, and I know the history pretty well,” he explains.
Unlike Alan I haven’t seen the 1976 version which tells the same story.
“It’s not a great film but you can at least follow it and understand what’s happening. With this one, I was just lost.
“I also don’t like the ridiculous CGI where the planes do things that defy physics”.

Alan adds: “With history films I don’t really care that much if they tweak the details a bit, I get that they have to change things for dramatic purposes. But if the drama is just crap, it’s crap.
“I wonder how many who saw the 2019 Midway who didn’t know anything about the battle understood what had happened at the end. That’s the test of a good history film, and I don’t think Midway managed it at all.”
There’s so much content in Midway, including those jaw-dropping action scenes, that viewers may need to give it a second look.
“They tried to pack too much in, which is why I felt it was hard to follow the history,” explains Alan. “I don’t think writers trust the audience any more to be able to sit still without a heart-pumping scene every 10 minutes. It’s a mistake.”

Whether you have trouble following the story or, like me, are more involved in the visuals and tales of derring do, Midway is a mixed bag. It does feel like a film made by committee to keep everyone happy. I may watch it again to get past those visual fireworks (as well as Woody Harrelson’s impressive wig and Ed Skrein’s cheekbones), and focus more on the characters; all the key players get that pre-credits explanation of what happened to them. Which is nice because I thought many had been made up for the sake of the movie.
So yes, it’s flawed, but if you like wartime epics, this, like many of the featured torpedoes, almost hits the target.

Cast 8
Editing 9
Effects 8
Score 7
Direction 8
Screenplay 7

Roger Crow/with thanks to Alan Allport

Starring Rex Harrison, Anthony Newley, Samantha Eggar

Directed by Richard Fleischer

Certificate U

All good musicals need at least three songs to keep their heads above water. Though this classic conversion of Hugh Lofting’s beloved tale of a medic who can converse with all creatures great and small has just two, it matters little.

Richard Fleischer’s late sixties family classic is hugely ambitious, boasts some great set pieces, and features a terrific cast. Forget Eddie Murphy and Robert Downey Jnr.

Rex Harrison is the definitive screen Dolittle, a mix of pompous genius with slight eccentricity. Samantha Eggar is a vision as his love interest, who naturally gets his back up, and vice versa in the first act before their mutual emotional ice melts.

Anthony Newley does come across like a fifth wheel at times, but he still rounds out the cast beautifully, as does Geoffrey Holder, who later found fame as Baron Samedi in Live and Let Die. And though he may not be in the film long, Richard Attenborough chews every scene he’s in during that iconic I’ve Never Seen Anything Like It musical number.

Best of all of course is THAT track: Talk to the Animals was fully deserving of the Oscar back in the day, and it’s lost little of its appeal in the 50-plus years since. The movie also won an Academy Award for best special effects, which may look a little ropey now, but there’s still a charm to the animatronics. Give me old school effects over soulless CGI any day. And yes, that giant pink snail in the finale still looks great. In fact, you’ve never seen anything like it.

At 152 minutes, it may go on 20 mins too long, but Lesley Bricusse’s screenplay ensures there’s rarely a dull minute. The Wiltshire, Bath and St Lucia scenes are especially gorgeous.

It’s years since I’ve seen this beloved classic, and if lockdown is good for anything, it’s a perfect time to catch up with some glorious old films. This might have been a huge flop at the time of release, but there’s been no end of movies that have gone on to become part of the bedrock of entertainment. It still captivates all these years later.

Now pay attention, because here comes the tortuous final bit. While we all come to terms with “doing little”, this distraction is just what the Doctor ordered.

Watch, enjoy, then go and wash your hands. Again.

By Roger Crow/@RogerCrow

Actress Kate Dickie discusses her new interactive film The Complex, as well as her work on Prometheus, Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Game of Thrones.

Tell us about your character in The Complex, Nathalie Kensington.

Nathalie is like somebody I haven’t played before. She’s the CEO and founder of this company, the Kensington complex, and she is in a really high end lab in London. Her company is in a race in developing things in the labs. She’s the boss, which is really interesting for me to play because I’ve never played the boss of a really big company with lots of high stakes.
Anyway, Nathalie has to make many decisions along the way, depending on how you end up interacting with the film. But some of them let’s say are perhaps not with the best intentions of society or for people around her. She has her own agenda, and makes some decisions that are very questionable.

We get to see different consequences play out depending on the decisions you make for those characters; it goes down different strands with different endings, so we got to see the fallout of a decision for your character.
It was very thought-provoking to see that play out. It makes me wonder what it’ll be like for people interacting with the film as well.

How does acting in an interactive drama differ from a regular drama?

I approached it like I would any film and any character. Trying to create a rounded character who made all these decisions, so it was really exciting. You had points where you had to pause for a 10-second period. But apart from that we would shoot it like filming a film.

What was it like working on Prometheus?

Ah, I had a wonderful experience on Prometheus from beginning to end.
It was just a dream come true. I never imagined in my life that I would have the opportunity to work with Ridley Scott. He’s one of the loveliest, kindest, cleverest men, and I have such respect and love for him. And just the experience of being on these amazing sets and all the technical… everything that was involved. The actors, the cast, the crew… the design. It was mind-blowing for me. I hold it very close to my heart.

Was there a lot of pressure on such a huge movie?

I spent the first month just terrified, because I found the whole thing so overwhelming, but everyone was such a tight family on it. Once I relaxed I was able to take a breath and realise this wasn’t a moment of madness. I just had a great time.

Was there a similar feeling on the set of Star Wars: The Last Jedi?

Oh yeah. I feel very lucky for the experiences I’ve had. I feel the same for my indies as well. I’ve been lucky to work with some fantastic writers, directors and actors.

Do you get stopped on the street by Game of Thrones fans?

Yeah, I do actually. That would be the main thing I would get recognised for. But everyone’s usually pretty chilled. It’s not like I get mobbed or anything. People recognise me in shops, or people say: “I feel like I recognise you”. I don’t tend to say (who I am). I maybe make people more bewildered than anything else.

:: The Complex is a live action, interactive sci-fi thriller is released worldwide through PC, PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch on 31st March, 2020

Starring Andrea Riseborough, Zoe Kazan, Caleb Landry Jones

Directed by Lone Scherfig

By Roger Crow/@RogerCrow

A mum on the run from her abusive husband with her two young sons during a harsh winter in New York; an overworked nurse who runs a soup kitchen and a help group, and a nice but dim young man who can’t hold down a job. Just a few of the characters whose destinies collide in Lone Scherfig’s warm-hearted drama.

On the surface it looks about as commercial as a chocolate fire guard; I’m not surprised it tanked at the box office. However, it’s one of those movies that gets under your skin thanks to some terrific performances.

I was hooked in by the presence of Bill Nighy, an actor so mesmerising it’s hard not to want to rewind when he performs one of those stunning reaction shots: looks to fellow actor and looks away, then raises an eyebrow. It’s quite a gift, but Bill alas is in the film for all of 10 minutes. Star of the show is Andrea Riseborough, who was so unrecognisable, I had no idea it was her until the closing credits rolled.

Her big-hearted nurse Alice, who takes in Zoe Kazan’s family on the run and cares for the hapless Jeff (Caleb Landry Jones) when he almost freezes to death is integral to the plot. As is Jay Baruchel’s lawyer John Peter.

Chances are you know him best as the voice of Hiccup in the How to Train Your Dragon movies. He also has some of the best lines in this slow burning gem of a movie.

At a time when many of us are more reliant than ever on the kindness of strangers, this should attract a huge audience. Okay, the villain of the piece is a tad one dimensional, an avatar that drives the story forward if you like, but it hardly matters.

Writer/director Lone Scherfig proved herself to be a hugely skilled film maker with An Education many years ago, so good to see she’s still turning out splendid work with films like this. Recommended viewing.