It's astonishingly moving, in its quiet, harrowing, weary way, although you may rightly ask: if it's so painful, why would I want to sit though it? Because, my dears, that is life.

The film is a matter of Brenda Blethyn's performance vs. Sotigui Kouyate's presence.

It would be nice to say that Bouchareb, who also wrote and directed "Days of Glory" and "Outside the Law," succeeds. He does not entirely. But he doesn't fail, either.

It's to her credit that Blethyn never alienates the audience, despite this, and manages to prioritise the subtly beautiful relationship between the suffering duo. Without it, the film is less than the sum of its parts perhaps, but it's worth seeing...