From the moment they hop into a taxi, Chasing The Night immerses us in the vibrant London nightlife, with each location offering a new slice of the city’s charm. The cinematography is sleek, capturing neon-lit streets and intimate corners that reflect both the excitement and hesitation of its characters. Adeyemi’s direction deftly balances quiet tension and playful spontaneity, keeping the pacing tight while still allowing enough space for subtle emotional beats.

One of the film’s biggest strengths is the palpable chemistry between Dìrísù and Ayorinde. Their dialogue and interactions are charged with what is said—and, crucially, what remains unspoken. You sense there is a weight on their minds, a conversation they’re both avoiding and Adeyemi carefully unravels these layers as the film heads toward its final act. The result is a sense of authenticity that resonates long after the credits roll.

Chasing The Night premiered on the festival circuit throughout 2024, garnering awards at S.O.U.L. Fest at the BFI and qualifying for both BAFTA and BIFA. Its official online release is set for February 25th on both Omeleto’s YouTube channel and Vimeo via Short of the Week, following in the footsteps of Adeyemi’s award-winning debut short No More Wings.

With its sharp visuals, standout performances, and a well-crafted narrative, Chasing The Night provides a compelling snapshot of London’s after-dark energy—and the unspoken truths we carry into the night. Whether this is just the beginning for Leon and Fatimah remains to be seen, but fans will surely be hoping for a longer exploration of their story in a feature-length follow-up.

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In this article, we will look at Gen Zs attitudes towards romance and relationships. How the genre may have to change to incorporate attitudes reflective of the current generation. And we will recommend some recent romcoms that have endeared themselves to younger viewers.

Who Are Gen Z?

So what makes Gen Z different from other generations? Well Gen Z have grown up as digital natives. With smartphones and other rapidly advancing technologies being constant features in their lives. They are also much more diverse in terms of race, ethnicity, gender identity, and sexuality. They are additionally incredibly aware of social issues and are more likely to demand solutions and more from social institutions. 

Regarding relationships, Gen Zers are more likely to delay long-term relationships to achieve career stability or discover more about themselves to put them on better footing for later relationships. In addition, growing up in a rapidly changing technological environment this generation has access to more information. Allowing them to better articulate who they are and how they feel. Older Gen Zers have also seen the rise of dating apps which has led to the destigmatisation of casual relationships but has also left many feeling dejected with the dating scene. According to some studies they are also more likely to date close friends. Suggesting that they value personal connection over attraction.

How Romcoms Might Change

Now, how can romcoms change to keep attracting an audience with markedly different dating experiences from prior generations?

Firstly, romcoms must start reflecting Gen Z’s diverse makeup of experiences and identities to keep them engaged. Recent figures show the industry still struggles to foreground the experiences of people of colour and LGBTQ people. So filmmakers must start providing more inclusive rom-com stories.

More care should also be given to romcom worlds. Gen Z has grown up immersed in media, technology, and current social issues. If romcoms want to speak to the experiences of young people filmmakers must do their research on how Gen Z communicate to integrate these elements better. Equally, they cannot continually fall back on the same tired romcom tropes. If they fail this is likely to make the films feel insincere or play to attitudes that Gen Z don’t like. Which may put many off the genre.

And Gen Z romcoms should shift their attitudes toward their story’s structure. Generally, romcoms will follow the trials of a particular character or couple. With the ending seeing the main characters enter a relationship. However, with Gen Z waiting longer to settle down, for various reasons, romcoms should be more open to not having characters end up together. Showing that relationships don’t have to be firmly set in stone by a set point and focusing more on the character’s personal life will speak more to Gen Z audiences.

Gen Z Love

Finally here are some good Gen Z-oriented romcoms to watch.

Rye Lane, To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before and The Big Sick give great visibility to characters of colour and treat the central romance figures as three-dimensional people. The latter two also showcase how imperfect young love can be. Love, Simon is a sweet LGBTQ romcom that touches on tech’s role in modern romance. And Set It Up revolves around relatable job problems.

These are great starting points for modern romcoms to grow from. But we must continue demanding more so more romcoms will accurately reflect Gen Z’s experience, thereby ensuring they feel represented and welcome.

Also Read: Rom-coms: The Unlikely Benchmarks of Feminist Progression

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The Vampire Diaries television series, produced by Warner Brothers from 2009 to 2017, was based on the popular book series by L.J. Smith. Originally written in the early 1990s, the series told the dark, gothic tale of a human teenage girl torn between two vampire brothers. 

The Show Inverts Typical Love Triangle Tropes

The CW series took the basic characters, structure, and setting of the original book series, but added new twists. For example, In the show Elena Gilbert has a high-school age brother named Jeremy, who becomes a vampire hunter. In the book series, Elena has a baby sister named Margaret. 

The central narrative focuses on the love triangle between human teen Elena (Nina Dobrev) and vampire brothers Stefan (Paul Wesley) and Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder). Stefan and Damon were humans who lived in Mystic Falls in 1864, before transitioning into vampires. Stefan represents the good side of the vampire spectrum, as a reformed killer who survives on animal blood. Bad boy Damon kills and feeds without conscience or consequence. 

Elena’s romance with Stefan is explored in the show’s first three seasons, while Damon is an antagonist in their relationship. These first two seasons position Stefan as a hero and Damon as a villain, highlighting them as foils and rivals. Elena and Damon’s romantic relationship begins in season four and continues through Dobrev’s exit from the show in season seven. 

The love triangle between Elena, Stefan, and Damon is further complicated by the show’s backstory. Katherine, the vampire who sired Stefan and Damon, enters the narrative in season two. Katherine is Elena’s doppelgänger, and they look exactly alike, which further complicates the love triangle. Dobrev portrayed both Katherine and Elena on the show, skillfully taking on the two distinct and iconic roles. 

The central narrative of a human caught between two vampires inverts once Katherine arrives in season two. The 19th-century triangle shows vampire Katherine manipulating the affections of the human Salvatore brothers. The present-day love triangle shows a human Elena caught between the undead Salvatore brothers. In both narratives, Wesley and Somerhalder play their characters so emphatically and convincingly that there is no clear winner for Elena’s affection.

The Vampire Diaries has the Hallmarks of Classic Gothic Romances

The Vampire Diaries has the hallmarks of a classic gothic romance. Mystic Falls has a spooky, atmospheric setting. The town’s long, complicated history and genealogy provide opportunities to explore different plotlines. Scenes are frequently set in the spooky, foreboding forest. Many of the homes are old, gothic mansions. The Salvatore Boarding House and Lockwood Mansion are prominent, spooky settings on the show. Setting plays an important role in the narrative since vampires must be invited into a home in order to enter it.  

A gothic romance also heavily features Byronic heroes and a damsel in distress. Stefan and Damon have features of classic Byronic heroes. They have magnetic charm, yet a mysterious, brooding demeanour that sets them apart. Elena takes on the damsel role, often needing to be rescued from the various troubles she finds herself in. As the series progresses, Elena takes on a more active role and often ends up saving Stefan and Damon from various threats.

Supernatural elements are prominent in a gothic romance. Throughout its eight-season run, The Vampire Diaries’ plot included vampires, werewolves, witches, ghosts, and sirens. Each of these supernatural creatures had powers that wreaked havoc on the characters and provided obstacles to the love triangle in the central narrative. 

The ominous setting, supernatural elements, and compelling characters make The Vampire Diaries stand out as a modern gothic romance.   

Also Read: What We Do In The Shadows & Unusual Vampires

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This powerful film has been praised for its strong feminist message as well as for its artistry. Let’s break it down;

The Story and Characters

The film tells the story of Subira, a young Muslim girl living on the small Kenyan island of Lamu. She spends her free time with her loving father, a fisherman, who promises to teach her how to swim. Her only dream is to dive in the ocean, even if the local customs see this as taboo. Over the years, she remains carefree until she is suddenly thrust into an arranged marriage with a stranger from the capital city, Nairobi.

Tradition and religion were strong themes which were portrayed with nuance. Subira felt trapped by marriage, yet her best friend had longed for it since she was a little girl. We were also shown that Kenyans are not a monolith; the characters had very different experiences of the same events depending on their gender, age and environment. Tradition can unite and divide at the same time. There were masterful portrayals of the different relationships in this film, especially between Subira and each of her parents.

The core message of women’s freedom is something many of us can relate to. In an interview with Ebru TV, the lead actress Brenda Wairimu said, “If you ask me, this story is based on a true story for everyone.” Even if you’ve never been to Kenya or even never seen the ocean, this story carries a truth that women everywhere have all lived through. Subira’s gentle stubbornness is something we could all learn from.

The Visuals and Sound

The sound design and music choice for this movie was simply stunning. Coastal music with Arabic influence is the very first thing that captures your attention when the movie begins. The music slowly shifts from more traditional Swahili sounds to urban music when the setting changes from Lamu to Nairobi. At the movie’s premiere, the poet and playwright Sitawa Namwalie commented on the creative use of silence in this film. There was little dialogue which left much of the story to be told with visuals, scenic sound and subtle expression.

The scenes of the crystal blue ocean at Lamu were gorgeous. Although the shots themselves were not technically complex, they had the intended effect. This movie was the definition of making a lot out of a little. I also noticed that special care was taken with wardrobing. In the first scene, Subira is a child dressed head to toe in bright green. She continues to wear green in the subsequent scenes but less and less as she ages, until the day of her wedding, when she is shrouded in pale green lace. The moment she leaves Lamu, she doesn’t wear the colour again. I interpret this as the loss of her youth.

In the End

Some may criticise this film by saying that it is simple. In my opinion, not everything needs to be complex. It is beautiful in the way swimming in the ocean in; vast yet uncomplicated. However, I will admit that other than Subira’s father, the portrayals of the male roles could have been more convincing and compelling. Overall, this was an artistic and refreshing watch that you should definitely check out.

Also Read: Netflix Hidden Gems: Love Today

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The film was a box office success and received critical acclaim in India, but we at Big Picture Film Club think it deserves a little more love internationally. Mild spoilers ahead;

The Story and Characters

There’s an old saying; nothing is new under the sun. Contemporary film is littered with remakes and retellings of old stories. Now, this is one of the very few times when I can say this; I have never seen this story told before.

The film begins with a young boy planting a mango seed. He digs it up to check on it multiple times and is frutrated that it won’t sprout. Cut to the present day. Pradeep is a young man who spends his savings to buy his girlfriend, Nikitha, a new smartphone. He waxes poetic about how close they are and how they know everything about each other. Due to the social stigma around dating, Nikitha lies to her strict father about where she got the phone.

Unfortunately, her father still finds out. Pradeep has to formally introduce himself to Nikitha’s father as a suitor for marriage. The old man shocks them with a strange condition; he will allow them to marry only if they exchange phones for a day. Their seemingly perfect relationship begins to fall apart at the seams as both their secrets come to light. Then, an unexpected third party throws a wrench into the already collapsing structure.

The Characters

The characters were all multi-dimensional and it was enjoyable to peel back each layer as the film progressed. No one was exactly whom they seemed to be. I applaud the moving subplot and stellar acting from the entire cast. Personally, I did not appreciate the focus on Nikitha’s purity. The moment that this sexual “purity” came into question, her community cast her to the dogs. Her reputation only survived once the accusation was proved to be false. On the other hand, most of Pradeep’s questionable behaviour was swept aside. The film holds women to the same impossible standards as hundreds of years ago.

The Visuals and Sound

The special effects in this film are impeccable. This is clear from the opening scene which shows each step of a smartphone being manufactured from with beautiful clarity. There was good visual storytelling, like the scene of the boy (later revealed to be Pradeep) planting a mango seed. The symbolism stood out to me. Nothing can truly grow, whether a seed or love, unless you leave it alone and trust that it will sprout. A lot of effort was taken to build up to the main story, even with a modest budget.

I appreciated the combination of more traditional shots, like the warm scenes of the couple sitting side-by-side on the beach, with the contemporary scenes of face timing, conference calls and scrolling through apps. The film featured mostly traditional Indian sounds complimented by techno-beats whenever the momentum picked up.

Before I Blab on for Too Long,

Pick up the remote and try this memorable rom-com. With heavy themes of gender roles, social expectations and just how dangerous (or liberating) technology can really be, the moral conclusions of this movie are up for debate. However, the high production quality cannot be denied and the comedic aspects are easy to appreciate. To the viewer, it really begs the question; how well do you really know the people you love?

Also Read: Netflix Hidden Gems: The Girl in the Yellow Jumper

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What’s It About?

The recently released short film His Sickled Journey, serves as both an educational short film highlighting an important medical condition and also a great romantic comedy about two people finding love. Written by Phil Ossai (who also directed the film) & David Ajayi (who plays the co-lead, Femi), His Sickled Journey follows Femi & Chanice’s (played by Vivienne Iseobor) blossoming relationship as Femi has he understands more about his partner’s condition. The short film does a great job of highlighting the seriousness of Sickle Cell Disease, whilst providing moments of comic relief and a loving story that make the film approachable for teenage audiences. As a result, it is available free to watch on YouTube via Million Youth Media.

What’s Sickle Cell Disease?

Sickle cell is a disorder of the haemoglobin in the red blood cells.
Haemoglobin is the substance in red blood cells that is responsible for the colour of the cell and for carrying oxygen around the body. The condition can only be inherited, providing that both parents have the sickle cell gene.

The main symptoms of sickle cell disorder are anaemia and episodes of severe pain. Pain occurs when the cells change shape after oxygen has been released. The red blood cells then stick together, causing blockages in the small blood vessels.

These painful episodes are referred to as sickle cell crises. They are treated with strong painkillers such as morphine to control the pain.

There are an estimated 15,000 people in the U.K currently with the condition, with many more being carriers of gene carriers. In the U.K., the black community is disproportionately affected, with up to 1 in 4 people of West African descent being carriers of the gene, and 1 in 10 people from Caribbean backgrounds having the gene.

You can watch His Sickled Journey on YouTube below.

Also Read: Flatshare: The Comedy Drama Web Series For Generation Rent

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The production team behind the film entered the Big Picture Film Club to talk about their film and the issues it aims to address.

Watch the full interview below.

A Brixton Tale is available in U.K cinemas now

Also Read: Neurocinema: The Study of How Films Control The Brain

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Set in 1980, the film gives us a voyeuristic look into the life of Richard Collier, a successful playwright portrayed by Christopher Reeve (Superman, Deathtrap). Collier goes on an unscheduled getaway prompted by a bout of writer’s block, ending up at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. Wandering the hotel, Richard stumbles upon a small museum of hotel artifacts and… this is where the movie really begins. We watch as Richard is drawn— almost against his will— to a photograph that changes his life: A portrait of actress Elise McKenna, played by Jane Seymour (Live and Let Die, Dr. Quinn).

From that moment, Richard is captivated by Ms. McKenna and her Mona Lisa smile. Finding the picture was taken sixty years earlier, Collier goes down a rabbit hole of research. He learns all he can about Elise, each clue deepening his obsession, hinting at an implausible truth: Somehow, in the distant past, the two had known each other. This sets Richard on a quest to see if time travel is possible, as he is determined to achieve it.

( Major SPOILERS ahead )

Locking himself in his room, he dons an early twentieth century suit, and cuts his hair to match. He spends the better part of the day listening to a recording of his own voice, trying to convince himself that it is 1912, the last time Elise McKenna was seen at the hotel. After several hours, he realizes the recording– made with technology that hadn’t existed in 1912– was the very thing preventing him from transporting to the past.

Removing all reminders of the present, Richard again attempts to will himself back in time– and it works. He finds himself in 1912, exactly as he had imagined.

This is a rare moment in movie history, more fairytale than science fiction, where time travel is not achieved via wristwatches or cars or phone booths: It’s more like Dorothy, caught in a tornado, carried off into the Land of Oz.

Collier proceeds to find Elise, overcomes her initial rebuttals, and convinces her of his sincerity of heart. In the span of three days, they go on a horse & carriage ride, share a romantic afternoon in a rowboat (anyone else getting ‘Little Mermaid’ vibes, here?), and bond as only movie lovers can. The only obstacle to their newfound happiness is Elise’s manager, William Robinson, portrayed by Christopher Plummer (Sound of Music, Doctor Parnassus). Regarding himself as her protector, he opposes the match in every way. He even has Collier attacked by thugs. Still, Richard and Elise find their way back to each other, Elise turning her back on her life as an actress, and Robinson.

But just as the couple start to make plans, Collier accidentally pulls something from his pocket that reminds him of the future: A 1979 penny. In one of the most heartbreaking moments I’ve ever seen, Richard is pulled away from his love. In a scene extremely reminiscent of “the sunken place” in Jordan Peele’s Get Out, Richard watches Elise fade into the distance, as we’re left with her screams of abject terror.

My Thoughts

Each side of me has her own thoughts. Here are a few:

The Feminist finds Richard’s obsessive desperation insulting: A successful writer, fresh off a breakup, runs from his problems, then promptly fixates on an unobtainable pretty face. Richard essentially time-stalks a dead woman, then applies emotional pressure until she responds the way he’d like. That’s not love. Not a healthy one at least. It’s also ridiculous that she gives up her career and her father figure for a three-day love affair.

The Activist is concerned that there were apparently no Black people in 1980. There didn’t even appear to be any Negro servants in 1912. #Erasure

The Romantic & The Christopher Reeve Fangirl feel like he was the only person that could sell this character on screen. There are moments of such breathtaking sincerity that they make me believe in time travel, magic, and destiny. No one could sell love and heartbreak like Christopher Reeve. Just watch the Lois Lane death scene in Superman: The Movie. But there are also moments of inappropriate camp that jolt me out of the story.

Plummer, as always, is menacing, charming, regal, and believable. Seymour puts in an excellent performance, as well. For me, however, Reeve is the breath and heartbeat of this film.

Yes, this movie is a mixed bag, depending on what values you bring to the viewing, but all in all, I think it is a semi-polished gem: It may not sparkle, but it’s priceless.

Also Read: The Film Fan’s Guide To Time Travel

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Evolution

Professor Grodal makes a case for evolutionary psychology as to why we have the genres we do and why they have persisted. While The Iliad (an ancient Greek Poem) is thousands of years old and written in a culture drastically different to our own we can see that it has many elements that would overlap with modern storytelling – action, fighting, love, revenge etc. Grodal argues this is because evolution has made us susceptible to these sorts of stories and essentially we’re the same people we were when The Iliad was created – a few thousand years is nothing when compared to evolution.

For Grodal there are three basic emotional structures that help make-up, and then react to genres

• The Reptilian Brain – fear, anger, lust, seeking
• Caregiving – love, pair-bonding, family
• Separation/Grief – dealing with death and loss

These three systems are not mutually exclusive and often overlap, this is particularly true of Caregiving and Separation/Grief but you can find films that hit all three systems.

Humans Are Weird Animals

Unlike many animals, humans care for their young for years as human infants are essentially helpless and utterly dependent on caregivers. If we want our DNA to continue in future generates, which the Theory of Evolution says we do, then we must protect our children. Evolution has hammered into humans that caring for their offspring is of paramount importance, so many films also have this message. Films are full of parents making sacrifices, up to and including dying, to protect children. Sophie’s Choice is considered so heart-wrenching because the choice will lead to the death of a child.

For most animals it is only the female that bears the burden of caring for children, humans are different in that males continue to provide for them, they will protect them and hunt or gather food. Due to the huge cost of raising children in terms of resources this makes evolutionary sense. This lead to a very strong pair-bond between parents and a successful pair bond is very important. So we have romances, where finding true love is amongst the most important things in all of life. There are few films that lack any romantic component, with “love interest” being a familiar description of a character. Hot Fuzz is one of the few films I can think of that has no romantic component and with this film, there was a lot of focus on the “bromance” between the two lead characters.

Saving Private Nemo

What is the defining moment of the film Bambi? I’m sure most people will think of the moment when Bambi’s mother dies. Finding Nemo is entirely about reuniting a parent and child. The film Aliens add a whole layer of emotion and drama by introducing a child for Ripley to bond with and then protect. Separation and loss in films can be emotionally devastating because these are terrible evolutionary outcomes. How will Nemo survive without his father? How will Marlin survive without his son? This is already after the genuinely horrific deaths of Nemo’s mother and siblings. When the two are reunited there is absolute joy. Sometimes the sacrifice of parents for children can be widened to a whole tribe, and today that could mean your country, and again, nobly sacrificing yourself for others who are part of your “tribe” is a staple of films and is the entire premise of Saving Private Ryan.

The Reptilian Brain

Then there is the influence of the “reptilian” brain, the part of the brain that developed first, that we share with reptiles. The four emotional systems we share with reptiles are anger, fear, lust and seeking – as in looking for food, for a mate, for a predator etc.. At least three of these factors are integral parts of action films – and often lust gets thrown in as well. Seeking, basically looking for what you want/need is present in action as well as crime and mysteries.

Action, crime and mysteries are also important in what Grodal calls HTTOFF Scenarios – Hiding, Tracking, to Trap, being Trapped, Observing, Fighting and Fleeing. In these scenarios, the protagonist is constantly working out the interactions between themselves and the world and other agents within it. Grodal points out that while few people watching films in the modern world will have to regularly fight, flee etc., those mental processes are still within us. A lot of children’s games involve HTTOFF scenarios, so Hide and Seek or play-fighting, it is enjoyable to recreate these situations in a safe way.

Rituals

Films can act as shared, ritualistic experiences, so that seeing death, grief etc on screen prepares us for when they happen in real-life. This can also be true of comedy, a lot of comedy consists of bad or embarrassing things happening but in a film that’s okay, we know it’s not real, and in a sense is a form of playing and pretending.

An Alternative View…

A little while ago on this site was published an article “The Formula of a Successful Film“, which looked at a different study which analysed thousands of films and found that they tend to fall into distinct categories like Rags to Riches, Cinderella and Icarus, describing how they handle emotion and the protagonist’s journey. So an Icarus film builds to high positive emotion and then drops down with a sad, or sort of sad ending. The most successful financially was found to be Man In A Hole. This is where a person falls at the beginning, leading to success/triumph at the end, the classic example being The Godfather. Michael starts happy, faces disaster and ends up winning. This research suggests something different going on to Grodal’s, here it is the journey of the character(s) that is crucial and evidently seeing someone triumph over adversity is very satisfying.

Looking at all of this research I think potentially the film that should have been the most successful and critically acclaimed was Liam Neeson’s Taken. For Grodal it satisfies all three emotional systems – action, caregiving and separation and matches The Man In A Hole dynamic. While successful enough to spawn two sequels and a whole genre of older action hero films I don’t think Taken managed those heights.

Also Read: The Formula For A Successful Film

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My wife and I sat down this week for a small-screen viewing of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, which was recently released on DVD.

Admittedly, this genre wouldn’t normally be my cup of tea, but after only a little coercion from Christine (who very much does like films in this genre), we decided to try it.

Caffeine and apple pie at hand (didn’t fancy the potato peel version), we settled in.

The story

Guernsey (the full title’s a bit of a mouthful, right?) is an historical-romantic drama directed by Mike Newell, starring Lily James in the lead role as Juliet Ashton, a successful novelist in the post-war era (very post-war, actually, as the film’s set in 1946). While promoting her latest book with publisher Sidney Stark (Matthew Goode), through whom she’s been contracted to write stories for The Times Literary Supplement about the benefits of literature, she is contacted by Dawsey Adams (Michiel Huisman, of Game of Thrones fame) about buying one of her novels.

Dawsey resides on Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands, where he is part of “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.” A prologue in the film reveals that the society was formed five years earlier during the German occupation when Dawsey and his friends make up the unusually-named book-reading group on the spot when stopped by the Nazis after breaking curfew. They’ve met every Friday night since and become firm friends.

After exchanging some letters with Dawsey, Juliet becomes fascinated by the Guernsey society and decides to travel to the island to meet with them – just to complicate things a bit more, her wealthy American boyfriend Mark Reynolds (Glenn Powell) proposes to her just as she’s getting on the ferry (sneaky move).

Shortly after arriving, Juliet meets the members of the society where she is treated as a great celebrity by the members: Amelia Maugery (Penelope Wilton), Isola Pribbey (Katherine Parkinson), Eben Ramsey (Tom Courtenay), and Eben’s young grandson, Eli (Kit Connor), as well as Dawsey Adams. The members tell Juliet that Elizabeth (Jessica Brown Findlay), who founded the group that fateful night in 1941, is overseas.

The rest of the film plays out gradually as Juliet uncovers more and more of the society’s story, particularly the circumstances around the mysterious absence of Elizabeth, with whom Dawsey (apparently) has a little girl called Kit. As you might expect, there’s more to Guernsey society than meets the eye, and Juliet soon finds herself fully invested in all of them, especially Dawsey, with whom she quickly falls in love.

The things I liked

First up, the cast is great. Lily James’ star continues to rise, and she’s well-worth her leading role credit here, playing an intelligent, compassionate young woman who you can’t help rooting for throughout. Wilton is fantastic as the troubled Amelia, doing her best to steal every scene she’s in with her intensity and brokenness; Courtenay balances her nicely as the warm, pleasant Eden, and I was thrilled to see Parkinson put in a subtle performance as the damaged and lonely Isola (I’m a huge IT Crowd fan and it was great to see Parkinson stretch her acting muscles some more here).

Mike Newell’s direction is understated but effective. His wide, establishing shots of beautiful Guernsey made me want to hop on the next boat there, and his subtle use of tone and light works nicely in the back of your perception of the narrative – of course, it’s a historical drama so there was never going to be anything overly flashy about it. I felt the pace of the film carries you along gently as you follow Juliet’s story.

The things that could have been better

Michiel Huisman’s performance is understated as the reserved Dawsey, but I think he holds back a little too much. While there is definite chemistry between him and Juliet, I didn’t quite believe that she would fall for him in such a short time, even ditching her fiancé in the process (the poor lad didn’t deserve it).

While the film is never boring, it sometimes lacks a little bit of humour or zest in the writing. There was scope there somewhere to have a comic relief character to lighten things up a bit (within reason, of course, in a film with such sensitive subject material) and some of the characters deserved more development. I would have liked to have seen a bit more closure around Elizabeth, and the final act felt slightly rushed and formulaic. These are very minor gripes, though.

The bottom line

Guernsey is a pleasant viewing experience. It deals with the tough historical subject matter in a way that can be absorbed easily – this is a film that successfully balances a narrative featuring menacing Nazi occupation with picturesque island farm life, all carried by a strong lead in Lily James.

Even if you don’t normally go for films in this genre, give this one a go. It’s worth the watch, and you’ll certainly pick up a bit more wartime history knowledge along the way, as I did!

Verdict: (4 / 5)

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