To Olivia 2021

6.8 / 10   22 vote(s)
Drama

In 1962, Patricia Neal and Roald Dahl retreat to the English countryside to bring up their young family. The seemingly unlikely pair find their relationship put to the test by a tragic loss.

Release Date 2021-02-19
Runtime 1h 39m
Directors John Hay, Graham Frake
Producers Joe Karimi-Nik, David Kennedy, Donall McCusker, Adrian Politowski, Nick Quested, Peter Hampden, Elliot Jenkins, Justin Johnson, Gretchen McGowan, Norman Merry, Martin Metz
Writers John Hay, David Logan, Stephen Michael Shearer

I have never followed the lives of celebrities a la People magazine or whatever, but still I was surprised to learn that children’s author Ronald Dahl and actress Patricia Neal were married. How did I not know that? This movie is apparently based on a book written by Ms. Neal.

The book covers a well worn topic, a family dealing with a tragic loss that threatens to break the parents up over how they grieve differently. There is an added financial pressure applied here, as both of their careers are at a stagnant point.

I thought the writing and the acting were excellent and made this the best movie so far here in 2021.

Peter McGinn