Timothy spall in particular was fantastic as in fairness he always is in portraying the raw emotion of his character through with Redgrave not far off. In honesty I enjoyed this film but could not get over excited about it as it is ultimately a series of often mundane bedroom conversations between a bitter mother and loving son. The fact it kept my attention in this setting was an achievement in itself. I would personally have liked to seen more focus on the art itself in between or a larger portion of his life but for what it was the performances really maximised it's entertainment level and make it a worthwhile and interesting hour and a half despite its limitations.