Ordinary Love

Belfast-based married film-makers Lisa Barros D'Sa and Glenn Leyburn (Good Vibrations)direct this sensitive drama about a middle-aged couple still grieving the loss of their grown-up daughter. They face a new challenge when the wife is diagnosed with breast cancer and, cast against type in a role not requiring combat skills or gunplay, Liam Neeson excels as the befuddled and worried hubby. However, the movie really belongs to Lesley Manville, who runs the gamut from simmering resentment to stoic resignation. Touchingly, she always hits the right restrained note for a woman, rather like her portrayal in the BBC comedy Mum, long predisposed to not making a fuss. While slightly-too-chic settings can give the proceedings a self-conscious, sterile air, and we wait in vain for a fresh angle or twist on the couple's unenviable situation, the sense of make-or-break for their settled, protective daily routine is well captured. Certainly, the film's abiding respect and compassion will be much appreciated by viewers with personal experience of the sharp end of serious illness.