My review

This romantic thriller hidden gem is a about Frank (played by John Simm), who meets a mysterious woman, Miranda, portrayed by the captivating Christina Ricci. While the film is an intriguing surprise, it feels a bit uneven overall. The first half is undoubtedly the strongest, as Frank meets Miranda and their chemistry is amazing. At this point, I was deeply curious about who Miranda was and the story behind her. However, the rest of the film, while still interesting, feels a little like a missed opportunity. The suspenseful elements are enjoyable but come with many flaws, and they end up dragging down the romantic aspect of the story.

The blend of British humor and thriller doesn’t always land, and at times, the humor feels overly cheesy for my taste. I particularly disliked the scenes where Frank tries to force Miranda to say "I love you." It was irritating and shifted the tone of the movie into a kind of rom-com, which felt out of place. Also just met, it's make no sense for him to force her to said that.

Christina Ricci delivers her usual strong performance, there is always something mysterious and strange about her acting in a good way, Her transition from toughness to sensitivity works and contributes to the audience's ability to identify with the character, but it’s evident the director didn’t do enough to fully tap into her potential. Her character lacks clarity— on the one hand, she portrays a femdom figure, but the male characters who are ostensibly in submissive roles often behave as if they hold the power. This dynamic is confusing and undercuts the story’s impact.

John Hurt, as always, delivers a strong performance as the multi-millionaire pervert, but his character suffers from poor writing and underdeveloped. The scene at the end, where he inexplicably starts eating random items, feels unnecessary and out of place.

Summary: An overall enjoyable movie with strong performances from nearly all the actors. Some of the scenes are wonderfully filmed and directed, especially considering that this is a low-budget film. A more developed backstory for Christina Ricci's character could have elevated the film to a whole new level. The romantic elements of the film, as demonstrated in the first half-hour, are its strongest aspect. A more refined script for the thriller and suspense components—or abandoning them altogether—might have significantly improved the overall experience. I rate it 6.8/10.