CRITIC’S CHOICE
A young deaf boy, Frankie (Jack McElhone), tracks on a map the peregrinations of the merchant ship on which his mother (Mortimer) has told him his absent father is working. He eagerly pores over the letters that arrive for him from exotic foreign shores. What Frankie doesn’t know is that his mom is the one writing the epistles and that she had good reasons for leaving his dad.
As exquisitely constructed as a vintage violin, this lovely romantic drama from Scotland shows what happens when the lies start to unravel. First-time director Shona Auerbach demonstrates a delicate touch, getting achingly bittersweet performances from her actors. Mortimer (“Lovely and Amazing”), her eyes pools of hurt, here again confirms that she’s a young actress of range and talent. Blessedly emerging from behind the mask he sported in “The Phantom of the Opera”, the ruggedly handsome Butler – portraying a seaman who helps the mom – shows soulful panache.
***1/2