Cert 15 108mins Stars 4

There’s a powerful sting to this bittersweet coming of age postwar period drama based on Fiona Shaw’s 2009 novel, and which successfully transfers the setting from Yorkshire to Scotland to exploit the austere beauty of Stirling.

In a lovely natural performance from young Gregor Selkirk who sustains injuries in the playground defending the honour of his single mother, which leads to her meeting the glamorous local doctor.

Manchester actress Holliday Grainger and one-time Oscar winner and star of TV’s True Blood, Anna Paquin, cause a buzz of gossip in the small town as a relationship develops.

An eloquent cry for compassion which is horribly relevant today, the script skewers hypocrisy, prejudice and how women are punished by society pressures.

It’s a sincere, finely-crafted and moving watch which is all the more remarkable for being directed by Annabel Jankel, who previously co-made the irredeemably terrible video game adaptation, Super Mario Bros, and co-created cult TV character, Max Headroom.