A writer seeks to bury the hatchet with his terminally ill dad in the powerful drama And When Did You Last See Your Father? Tim Burton took a fanciful approach to the same subject in Big Fish (2004), but director Anand Tucker has no need of bells and whistles, instead letting Colin Firth, and especially Jim Broadbent, enthral us with wonderfully vivid performances. As the teenage version of Firth's grumpy scribe, cheeky up-and-comer Matthew Beard is also one to watch.

Past and present are skilfully entwined from the memoirs of Blake Morrison, revealing a complex tangle of emotions. Visiting dad for what he knows is the final time, Blake tries to come to terms with their history. In flashbacks, Arthur is an exuberant but very tactless father. Humiliating the boy in front of prospective girlfriends is bad enough, but his affair with aunt Beaty (Sarah Lancashire) guarantees his son's diligent loathing. And yet with age comes wisdom.

"HAS A DEVASTATING EFFECT"

It's easy to see why the offended parties, including Arthur's long-suffering wife (the brilliant Juliet Stevenson), couldn't stay angry with him for long. Broadbent strikes the perfect balance between infuriating old sod and endearing ‘little boy lost'. He also benefits from a finely crafted script. Arthur's inbred reluctance to show any emotion means that even the vaguest gesture of compassion has a devastating effect. Tucker's direction is similarly toned down, getting in close to the actors and conveying their unspoken feelings without becoming bogged down in syrupy sentiment. Arthur's blinkered approach to fatherhood raises a good few laughs as well, like forcing Blake to test out his self-made 'waterproof' tent on a compulsory camping trip. Clichés are in evidence (e.g. a driving lesson on the beach serves as one happy memory), but there can be no doubting the film's sincerity. And for all the heartbreak, you will be left with good memories.

And When Did You Last See Your Father? is out in the UK on 5th October 2007.