User reviews

Set in a remote area of war time Scotland of the 1940's, this is a beautiful and moving film that features an extraordinary performance from Phyllis Logan as the courageous young wife desperately looking for meaning in a barren, isolated lifestyle. Her "escape" from a cold and uncaring life with her husband is touchingly portrayed, although the illegal relationship with Italian prisoner of war Luigi always appears problematic. The scenery is incredibly vivid and raw, and the story told humanely and realistically. What I loved most about this film was its lack of cheap sentimentality and the understated deep emotion of the story. All actors are excellent in their support of the undoubted star. 10 out of 10.

I saw "Secrets and Lies" recently and, watching Phyllis Logan, was reminded of this little war-time story, a real gem of a kind that the English do so well. Set in the north of England, it concerns a liaison between a local girl and an Italian prisoner-of-war. The gentle romance; the knowledge that she will be subjected to the disapprobation of her family and the locals, adds to the build-up to the inevitable, sad, conclusion. It is a lovely story, shot in black and white, in bleak conditions, capturing the impossibility of a tender relationship, doomed by the circumstance of war. There must be a case for re-issuing these well acted TV dramas on DVD.