"Their Finest" (2016)

What a shame this movie will probably never see the light of day after the one week run here in Los Angeles. It is a lovely love story wrapped in pre-American involved World War II.

The story is of Catrin Cole played so beautifully by Gemma Arterton (which I doubt she will get a role this great again), a Welsh secretary that accidentally gets a job writing women’s roles in war films. She is teamed up with two bullpen dwelling co-writers Tom Buckley (played by Sam Claflin) and Gabriel Baker (played by Henry Goodman). In the meantime she maintains a married relationship with an artist whom she becomes the sole breadwinner.

War rages on around them as they attempt to write an inspiring movie about a rescue off Dunkirk (which I CANNOT wait until I see Christopher Nolan’s “Dunkirk”)

Amongst the ragtag cast is Ambrose Hilliard (Bill Nighy), an aging British actor who believes he has many more glory days ahead of him. He is a vain self-indulged thespian who moves only when salved by empty compliments. And he really is the charm of the movie. Brazenly determined to not let the war tear down his career. Tragedy all around and he still maintains (which is a metaphor for working in this industry)

Unfortunately, Catrin has to juggle her time on the film production and her love of a husband who has gained some success in his art and must travel to see him. Long distance relationships get straining. More so in the constant fear of war.

The crew presses on as the outside world molds the movie to what it becomes. A parallel to an unfolding story too good to give away here. This movie was made almost entirely by women. A war perspective told through a nostalgic eye. And injects it with class that is missing in movies. It makes you REALLY miss women of this era. They were tough go-getters without full sleeve tattoos.

Though sometimes sentimental in the eye of which it looks at its material, it still pulls back just enough to not really completely go over well worn war tropes.

This is a beautiful gem that will be discovered in time and people will wonder why it didn’t get its due.

Directed by Lone Scherfig, a woman I hope will find more mainstream work. She knows her way around making a movie.

GO SEE IT!