Let me start with: this is not "based on a true story" (about time). On the other hand, it may well be based on 100 true stories, about the British film industry during WW II, and the role of woman in it. Some call this film the feminine perspective of Christopher Nolan's "Dunkirk".
Struggling to support her artist husband Ellis (Jack Huston) while he waits for his break, Catrin (Gemma Arterton) finds a "secretarial post" (in reality is beneath it) in the dismal British film industry, in air-raid ravaged London (depicted with one or two gut-churning scenes). Opportunity knocks when her talent as screenwriter is recognized by her employers. The real opportunity is in that, with so many young men away at the battlefield, the male-dominated industry has to accept a woman. The new project is a morale-boosting film based on a pair of twin sisters' heroic rescue act in Dunkirk, stealing a boat from their tyrannical father.
Paired with seasoned screenwriter Tom Buckley (Sam Claflin), Catrin's role is primarily writing "the slop" (women's dialogue). While the romantic angle is exploited, it is never essential. BIG SPOILER coming. Ellis, who from the outset is shown to be clearly undeserving, deserts her. After some meandering, Catrin and Tom finally come together, only to have him die in an accident. This will strike you as rather abrupt while you are watching, but after a brief reflection, you realise that it is necessary. This is a film about Catrin, and both men are in the way, and need to be disposed of before the end.
The true male lead is one Ambrose Hilliard (Bill Nighy, who owns the screen whenever he appears), an over-the-hill actor who used to charm throngs of female fans in his hay-days. In an excellent scene close to the end, Ambrose earnestly asks Catrin not to walk away from a new project (he is starring and has grown to depend on her script-writing), an opportunity made available to both of them because the young men are away at war. In saying that Nighy is the true co-lead, I am thinking of Lee Marvin's doubly honoured role (Oscar and Golden Globe) in "Cat Ballou" (1965) that starts out like a comic side-kick to the heroine (played by Jane Fonda) but grows as the film progresses.
Allow me a brief detour from the plot line to mention that this film comes with beautiful cinematography. The first such shot is during Catrin's visit to interview the twin girls whose adventure sources the film they are making. This shot is framed at her approaching on a lane-way sloping gently up, overlooking the ocean. Absolutely mesmerizing. Later in the film, the seaside locale as proxy for Dunkirk provides an idyllic setting, particularly on the romantic development between Catrin and Tom.
Although I intimated that romance is not the essence of the film, it is nicely crafted, enhancing the audience's enjoyment. Catrin and Tom are kindred spirits, both versatile with words and wit. In one scene when Catrin observes that the two actresses cast to play the twin girls are too young, Tom offers "double their age". Without missing a beat, Catrin quips "too young twice over". I think the moment that really draws Catrin to Tom is during the propaganda people's unfortunate revelation that the twins did not quite make it to Dunkirk, because of engine failure. Undaunted, Tom argues that while this may not be based on the truest version of the twin's story, they did display courage. Moreover "it is based on, 100, 1000 or even 338,000 true stories", the last being the number of soldiers rescued from Dunkirk.
The best part is the development of the relationship between Catrin and Ambrose. Again, that reminds me of "Cat Ballou" in which the young heroine and aging hero (no romantic element here) start out with the wrong foot, but gradually develop mutual respect. Arterton, after a slew of roles with dubious significance (Alice Creed, Clash of the Titans, Prince of Persia, Hansel and Gretel
.) finally lands one that is worth her salt. Nighy is unlikely to be as lucky as Marvin (relatively weak field of contenders) but certainly deserves a best actor award (maybe BAFTA?) The rest of the supporting cast is uniformly strong. Jeremy Irons and Eddie Marsan have small parts. Two female roles are particularly noteworthy. Rachael Stirling portrays Phyl Moore the no-nonsense aid to the filmmakers with subtle nuances of the real person underneath the cool, impersonal mask. Charismatic Helen McCrory, playing Sophie Smith who steps in for her brother, Ambrose Hilliard's agent who gets killed in an air-raid, puts in a glittering performance opposite Nighy.
Ultimately, this is a film about words (be they in a book, a stage play or a film script), about how they are employed to portray human emotions.
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