Perhaps a touch too long but a combination of Alan Bennett's material and Maggie Smith's performance is hard to resist. Alex Jennings is very good and there is support from a quality troupe of character actors.
Well done to Emily Browning for undertaking a risky and vulnerable role. She succeeds in delivering with aplomb as does Rachael Blake as the classy pimp.
Although there are some stunning shots of The River – the opening scene of the vessel moving through the lock is memorable – the story belongs to the Peasants who are being relocated from their soon to be flooded homes.
It has some worthy scenes, mainly those that contain intelligent discussion, but for too much time the screenplay prefers to concentrate on religious bigotry and the bloodshed that often goes with it.