Victoria Wood is wonderful. For this she provides a top script and performance in the lead role. The rest of the cast are all very good, too. I loved the scene in the railway carriage with the doctor, excellently played by Jason Watkins. It all seemed very realistic. It was involving and moving. And, unlike some wartime pieces (e.g. Foyle's War), the dialogue was convincingly of its period.
Slight niggles: It is hard to believe that the son, Cliff, is a PT instructor. He does not look the part at all. The WVS ladies were perhaps a bit too caricatured. Also, there seemed to be no problems with rationing. People scoffed fruitcake and even doughnuts -- which I should think would wipe out the fat and sugar ration in one fell swoop -- as if this were quite normal. I also wish the film had not started with the words "inspired by" the diary of Nella Last. This is even less than "based on" and makes it sound as if a lot of the story we saw might have been fictitious.
Slight niggles: It is hard to believe that the son, Cliff, is a PT instructor. He does not look the part at all. The WVS ladies were perhaps a bit too caricatured. Also, there seemed to be no problems with rationing. People scoffed fruitcake and even doughnuts -- which I should think would wipe out the fat and sugar ration in one fell swoop -- as if this were quite normal. I also wish the film had not started with the words "inspired by" the diary of Nella Last. This is even less than "based on" and makes it sound as if a lot of the story we saw might have been fictitious.