I rated this a 10. It's a true sleeper you're sure to enjoy. If you want your heart pinged by true pure love and simple happiness, like a flower growing between the cracks in a sidewalk, you'll never regret these two hours which puts life itself in perspective. I have a new hero, which makes me happy because so few are really genuine. I'm always in awe and wonderment of someone born into a world with all things grey, and yet somehow, with seemingly no effort or strain, they see life only through a spectrum of incredible colors I'm not sure the rest of us can even conceptualize, let alone see. The story of these two people living in remote Nova Scotia, who found each other against all odds, warms my heart and confirms my faith in human goodness. Treat yourself.

I cried, tears streaming down my face. Maud, what a gentle, beautiful woman, full of joy and humor, and they sold her baby!! The baby would have filled her life, anchored it. What a great mother she could have been. And then there's her ability to make do, to love Everett, a caveman, to bring him out of his hole into the sunlight. Damn. No sticky sentimentality. Just life as it is, a royal pain in the ass.

Sally Hawkins is every bit as good an actor as Daniel Day Lewis!

Based on a true story: In small-town Nova Scotia, Maud Dowley (Sally Hawkins) is a shy young woman handicapped by rheumatoid arthritis and misunderstood by her family. She becomes a live-in housekeeper to Everett Lewis (Ethan Hawke), a grouchy fish peddler who lives in a small house outside of town. During her housekeeping, she discovers her enjoyment - and talent - of painting.While the characters of this film often face difficult times, director Aisling Walsh does a fine job in emphasizing the serenity of rural eastern Canada. (While the film takes place in Nova Scotia, it was filmed in Newfoundland.)The very unusual domestic arrangement would mean little today but in small-town Canada in the 1930s, it was scandalous. The silent and tense atmosphere of the film conveys this well.Hawke does a fine job in portraying his conflicted character whose anger sometimes erupts in the form of abuse but who still shows a good and caring side. His character, like others, are not given sufficient background to show how they tick. But there is more than even enough development in the portrayal of the title character - mainly because of the superb work by Hawkins.Within her physical and social limitations, Hawkins finds the perfect mix. While she is often vulnerable, she can still mutter a few words now and then that show she has a clear sense of self-worth. Her greatest scenes are in the last half when she learns more about her past and also when she gradually becomes frail with age. Hawkins' performance is the highlight of this fine film.