Film Reviews by PB

I won't repeat what other have said but just add that I was disappointed by the decision not to shoot on Guernsey which has a very distinctive appearance and to give it credit, is pretty well preserved from those days.

If they had, there would have been a greater sense of the claustrophobia that occupation must have brought - Devon made the place seem vast - and the physical structures such as fortifications (both German and Napoleonic) would not have had to be CGI'd in.

I understand that the filmmakers took the 25% tax credit available from HMRC into account.

Amusing that the Guernsey official tourism website does all but claim it was shot on the island. Good for them! Although anyone turning up and hoping to spot shooting locations will have to make do with real history instead.

I really wasn't sure what I was going to get with this film and watched with low expectations but was really delighted from the outset and have given it 4 *s, which I don't readily hand out!

Perhaps as am aspiring (and unsuccessful) writer mself, the theme I took from it was that of how artistic selfishness can completely consume you and those around you. The husband was prepared to sacrifice his wife's feelings and ultimately her physical security in return for acclaim for his poetry. As a homelover, I felt completely for the wife's shock as her beautiful house is invaded and trashed. As a father I felt her horror for her baby being taken from her.

The acting is superb across the board and there are few actresses who could pull off what Jennifer Lawrence does, although I would have been interested to see Alicia Vikander, another of my favourites, have a go.

Sure, the premise strays from the realistic too much for mainstrean taste and some of the ingredients of the action may offend those who do not like to be offended, but this is Kafkaesque psychological horror and exactly what you should expect from Aronofsky on top form.