Fans of period dramas and war films are being urged to watch a 2002 movie which is set in London both before and after the Second World War. The film follows the consequences of a woman’s affair with her sister’s husband.

The star-studded film, which is available to watch for free on BBC iPlayer and is only one of a whole host of masterpiece period dramas, is an adaptation of Rosamond Lehmann’s 1953 novel The Echoing Grove. Opening in 1934, the film is set following the funeral of Madeleine’s (played by Olivia Williams) father.

Her husband, Rickie (Paul Bettany), clearly has more in common with his sister-in-law, Dinah (Helena Bonham Carter), and while they all stay under the same roof, Rickie admits his attraction. The film continues to follow their torrid affair.

The Heart of Me is the title of the film in question, which received a mixed reception from critics after it premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Yet fans at home may be inclined to say the scandalous yet romantic film is better than shows today, such as Bridgerton, which is back for season four soon.

Viewers were quick to give the film a full ten out of ten stars, and they took to IMDb reviews to share their thoughts.

Blackpetalsdancing hailed it a “beautiful, heartbreaking film”, adding: “A movie full of dramatic irony and beauty. I love Helena Bonham Carter and Paul Bettany. On screen, the characters are so believable that I forget that I am watching a movie.

“I’m transported to this world of war and snobbery, kite flying and poetry. And every twist in the plot basically rips my heart out or sends it soaring. It’s so different from any other romance film that I’ve ever seen.

“The premise is familiar, but it’s beautifully done. Definitely worth seeing. Keep a box of tissues nearby.”

Mjkarlin has plenty of positive words to say about the cast, sharing: “Although from time to time, the plot wanders toward the predictable and the sentimental and the script could have done with some more acerbic wit, you simply cannot take your eyes off the protagonists, particularly the two leading ladies.

“Helena Bonham Carter and Olivia Williams show how to perform with perfect pitch.”

Robert-temple-1 commented: “This is everything one could possibly want a modern British period film to be: brilliant, sensitive, perfectly made, enthralling, revealing, informative, stimulating, and inspired. Did I forget anything? Oh yes, the wonderful script, cinematography, editing, costumes, sets, props, and just about anything else you care to name.

“The performances are magnificent and sublime. 2002 was a bumper year for Helena Bonham Carter, when she delivered possibly the two finest performances of her distinguished career.”

Fans of the original source material, The Echoing Grove, took to Goodreads to share their thoughts as the synopsis reads: “With extraordinary insight, Lehmann explores the sublimity and the pain of these fatally interrelated lives in a novel which carefully fictionalises the fracturing of the human personality under the pressure of irreconcilable emotional commitments.”

Sarah shared: “Her prose here is breathtaking. And I just love the way she plays with perspective. Though the abrupt shifts in time, place, and narrator could be a bit distracting, they were highly effective in evoking a sense of things half-remembered or only half-known…I’m anxious to read more of Lehmann’s work.”

The Heart of Me is available to watch on BBC iPlayer

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