Both actors give this bed-bound script their all and their jousting is enjoyable if you like other people's pain.

If often sad and unsettling, the film is also livelier and less oppressive than it may sound thanks to the fine writing, deft direction by Adrian Noble, and the superb, if painful interplay between Redgrave and Spall.

A one-note and strangely listless work that brings together two of the most immensely talented actors working today.

It’s a more subdued work than most biopics, but it’s one that has plenty on its plate for the right audience member.