Evil.

I saw this film a little while back and although I definitely think it's a good film in almost every respect, and that Valerie Edmond makes a very engaging lead... I nonetheless couldn't quite shake the feeling that it's... well, completely evil.

What I mean is, this film expresses great sensitivity towards the feelings of certain characters, but this was deeply compromised, for me, by the treatment of the character of Butler's wife. Perhaps she was meant to be better characterised and the final cut didn't allow it.

Perhaps she was there just to add a bitter underlining to the main romantic plot; true love is never simple. Sacrifices have to be made for relationships that really matter. If so, that's interesting but a complete turn-off for me personally as the film doesn't actually seem to have, or encourage, very much sympathy for her.

Look at the wonderful sensitive story of two people rediscovering their true love for each other. Just don't look at the person being trampled beneath their feet. When I look back at this film I can't help but remember it as being about a woman who turns up on her ex-boyfriend's doorstep and asks his wife to let her steal him from her. The heartlessness shown toward that character just makes me shudder, it's the kind of psychopathic logic that I'd run a mile from in real life: "I'm in love, so other people don't matter." Give me Brief Encounter any day.