Period romantic drama starring Lily James and Michiel Huisman. In postwar London, struggling novelist Juliet Ashton takes up an invitation from Dawsey, a Guernsey farmer, to visit the island. As their mutual attraction grows, she finds out about a literary society that met clandestinely while Guernsey was occupied by the Nazis and uncovers their remarkable secret.
Baking a pie filled only with scraps of potato skins becomes an emblem of the privations suffered by those living under the Nazi occupation of Guernsey in this period drama with a dash of romance. Events are approached from the postwar perspective of Lily James's London-based writer, who is given inspiration by a chance letter from a Guernsey farmer (handsome Dutch actor Michiel Huisman). He helped form the eponymous literary society during the war as a way of circumventing the invaders' curfew, and when James travels to the island, the various members help her piece together a saga of courage and suffering - putting her own forthcoming nuptials in jeopardy the longer she stays on. James and Huisman's love interest is somewhat telegraphed, and the whole story offers a rather roundabout way of tackling an under-explored episode of wartime history. However, the handsome period design and likeable performers ensure it remains modestly engrossing, with Penelope Wilton offering by far the sharpest contribution as a grieving widow.
| role | name |
|---|---|
| Juliet Ashton | Lily James |
| Dawsey Adams | Michiel Huisman |
| Mark Reynolds | Glen Powell |
| Elizabeth McKenna | Jessica Brown Findlay |
| Eben Ramsey | Tom Courtenay |
| Amelia Maugery | Penelope Wilton |
| Isola Pribby | Katherine Parkinson |
| Sidney Stark | Matthew Goode |
| role | name |
|---|---|
| Director | Mike Newell |
