Helena Bonham Carter returns to familiar period territory as one of a pair of sisters in love with the same man, Rickie (Paul Bettany). Unfortunately for Dinah (Bonham Carter), Rickie is already married to Madeleine (Olivia Williams), so she keeps her feelings under wraps. But with the subtle encouragement of Rickie himself, she gives in, and so an illicit, passionate affair begins behind the back of her repressed housewife sister.
Based on Rosmond Lehmann's novel The Echoing Grove, this 1930s tale has all the love, heartache and tragedy that a stirring romantic drama requires and, with charismatic performances and sumptuous cinematography, you'd think it would want for nothing. Structurally, however, it's an oddity: the direction of the narrative feels precarious, and sudden time jumps create an emotional distance after a thoroughly engaging first act. Shame.