GOOD LUCK TO YOU, LEO GRANDE

It's not so often a film will come along and absolutely charm the pants off of you, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande very much being a film that did exactly that at Sundance London last week.

Nancy Stokes (Emma Thompson) is a retired widow, seeking romance and excitement after a boring marriage. She hires a good-looking young sex worker called Leo Grande (Daryl McCormack), in the hope of enjoying a night of pleasure and self-discovery.

In a world where we have been subjected to such tedious discourse over whether sex scenes add anything to a film, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande comes along and proves that they bloody well can do if handled with such care as done by director Sophie Hyde here. This is such a beautifully intimate film stripped down and straight to the point as two characters, who couldn't be more different if they tried, learn a lot from one another over the course of a few meetings in a hotel room.

Katy Brand's writing is so eloquent and effortless in opening these two characters up to not just each other but the audience too. Celebrating such subjects as sexual pleasure and body-positivity while also exploring relationships between mothers and their children, Brand's screenplay manages to bring a real sense of playfulness and gravitas to proceedings.

Coming to the performances, both Emma Thompson and Daryl McCormack are very good here, excelling one another to deliver two of the most sensual performances of the year. As previously mentioned, they're from totally different worlds and the work here to show empathy towards the situation of the other is so endearing. Thompson is a national treasure and her performance here just feels so raw and vulnerable that you can't help but feel moved.

Good Luck to You, Leo Grande is a film that just exudes confidence and class throughout, the positivity towards sex and our bodies something to be admired no doubt. It was my favourite film from Sundance London and I'm sure it'll be a hit with wider audiences too.

Verdict: ★★★★½