An endearing everyman movie with a UK setting. Frank, a traditionalist, would rather leave than kowtow to the new management. After 36 years of work he is at odds what to do with himself. He can't communicate his emotions to his wife, he barely expresses his feelings to his chums, and he struggles with his relationship with his son. Woven through this is the 23 year old tragedy of losing his other son to a drowning, which has haunted him all these years. Frank finds a way to redeem his self-esteem and that is to swim the English Channel. The movie weaves this main plot in with several sub-plots and it all works well. Indie movies are brave enough to portray real characters with plausible dialog. A tremendously capable cast with the talents of Billy Boyd (Pippin) as the comic relief, and Brenda Blethyn (Pride and Prejudice) as the stalwart wife, plus the wide array of minor characters, blend to create a thoroughly enjoyable family movie. Some of the lines with Billy Boyd are laugh out loud hilarious.

i was so impressed by this movie and decided to watch it several times. i really loved billy Boyd's character of Danny, he was able to bring a sense of humor into this movie, all the characters were unforgettable and the story itself was very inspiring and touching..this movie was a delight to watch and you pulling for for the main character to cross the channel..i loved that the wife kept trying to pass her test to drive the bus, showing her strength as well. one of my favorite scenes was when Danny thought he could drive the boat, he handled the whole thing extremely well..i hope to see more of these kind of movies in future..they are family oriented and i love that, more of the human feelings without any of the filth so evident in most movies today thank you for a well done movie and the inspiration it was to me.

I watched this on a day off work sick knowing nothing previously about the film, and I was more than pleasantly surprised. This a high quality independent movie. The director whom I knew nothing of any previous or subsequent work holds this film together remarkably.This heart warming tale born out of the grit of the death of the British working man is areal winner. A great British cast lead by the always superbPeterMullan brings real depth to the characters where even the minor characters are given arc's where they are allowed to flourish. Thefilches a main plot of a man struggling to bring meaning to his life after loosing his life long job and dealing with the latent emotions of his dead son, as well as many nice sub plots. If you like small films with a good story and great acting then this is for you.

This was a fantastic film from start to finish. I was a little sceptical about this film when I first read the byline but once I started to watch it I was enthralled to the very end. A film very much in the vein of The Full Month only with less stripping, less swearing and a slightly better storyline. You actually feel Franks pain as he swims the channel and you find yourself willing him on with every breath. A must see and definitely a 10 out of 10. The music fits the film well but is not too overbearing as seems the norm now in so many 'hollywood blockbusters'. The views of Scotland, the choice of locations, the supporting actors, the old pool where Frank practices all add to the enjoyment. So also does his relationship with Chan from the chippie who no one seems to know talks apart from the two words 'fish' and 'chips'. Watch out for the child with what I assume is Cerebral Palsy as he battles his own inner demon as he swims two widths of the pool, a stirring performance and one that deserves credit. The final locations of the cliffs somewhere near Dover, the boat in the channel and the beach in France bring a fantastic end to a fantastic film.