In 1950s England, sailor Harold Guppy arrives in a small seaside town looking for his estranged brother. After a brief reunion, Harold finds a room for rent in the house of Mrs. Beasley, her meek husband and their teenage daughter, Joyce. It's clear that Harold has a troubled past, but his future is about to get more perilous yet. Despite the rosy surface, Harold soon finds himself in a tawdry sexual tug-of-war that won't end well.
Julie Walters
Marjorie
Rupert Graves
Harold
Matthew Walker
Stanley
Laura Sadler
Joyce
Holly Aird
Deirdre
Les Dennis
Maurice
Elizabeth McKechnie
Iris
Nicholas Hoult
Bobby
James Aidan
George
Michael Bertenshaw
Mr. Pugh
Judy Clifton
Mrs. Fox-Davies
Christopher Cook
Deirdre's Baby
Candace Hallinan
Pauline
Charles Hart
Hotel Receptionist
George Hart
Car Vendor
Amanda Holden
Pamela
Annie Keller
Jean
Elsie Kelly
Enid
Gary Meredith
Mr. Jarvis
Sarah Jane McKechnie
Mrs. Latimer
Lucy Rivers
Valerie
Sonya Sadler
Mrs. Clitherow
Leanne Summers
Girl at Swimming Pool
Princess Margaret
Herself (Archive Footage)
Director, Screenplay
Philip Goodhew
January 12, 2024
6
Based on a true story, Harold (Rupert Graves) arrives home after a spell at sea and finds rejection at home from his sister-in-law. Forced to seek lodgings elsewhere, he alights on Marjorie (Julie Walters) who shares a room with her teenage daughter whilst her husband sleeps separately for "medical reasons"! Initially all goes well, they all bond nicely and he settles in as one of the family. The applecart gets a bit upset, though, when Marjorie decides that she's got the hots for her new tenant and after some very timid rebuttals, he soon acquiesces to her demands! The daughter, Joyce (Laura Sadler), meantime, is fully aware of her mother's peccadilloes and threatening to tell her father, insists that she becomes part of their games. Not the sex part, no, but she essentially treats him like an indulgent new father - and one with whom she becomes increasingly infatuated. Needless to say, this situation cannot continue but it's only when he tries to end things that he discovers that his older paramour is quite prepared to make his life a criminal misery with some heinous allegations should he try to escape this web of deceit - before a picnic brings things to a tragic and definitive head! Walters and Graves are both fine here, but they don't gel especially well together and that's quite crucial to the addictive nature of this story. The sex scenes are almost comedic at times and the ease with which this menage-à-trois seems to thrive rather robs the film of much of a sense of jeopardy, or even that they might be doing something wrong and immoral. It does look good but the narrative is a bit flat and disappointing, I found.
Status:
Released
Original Language:
English
Budget:
$0.00
Revenue:
$0.00