London, mid 1950's: a woman leaves her husband for a passionate relationship with no future.

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With a conventional education, Hester (Rachel Weisz) naively thinks it's the man who loves. She therefore chooses to marry William Collyer (Simon Russell Beale) and settles down to a comfortable, dignified and ordered life. Until she meets Freddie Page (Tom Hiddleston) at her husband's country club. Young, handsome and a former RAF pilot, Freddy has no trouble seducing Hester, who leaves William for him and moves with him to a small apartment. But Freddy, broken by the war, soon feels tied down and takes to drinking heavily.

Adapted from the play by Terence Rattigan, this remake of the eponymous 1955 romance flick was directed by Terence Davies (The House of Mirth) and stars Rachel Weisz in the Vivian Leigh role. The plot remains melodramatic and focused on emotional suffering, the influence on memory on daily life and the importance individual freedom and personal accomplishment. Of note are the sharp dialogues, beautiful sepia-toned images and the soundtrack, notably a violin concerto by Samuel Barber.