Dreaming of Joseph Lees

No doubt Samantha Morton's Oscar-nominated breakthrough in Sweet and Lowdown paved the way for the video release of this British melodrama set in an English village in 1958. Morton stars as the shy and sensible Eva, the only girl around, notes persistent pig farmer suitor Harry. The credulity problems begin when the tremulous Eva agrees to move in with, but not marry, Harry (unlikely in a provincial village in 1958) and her father (Frank Finlay) not only agrees to this arrangement but tells her to "follow your heart." Unfortunately, for Harry, Eva's heart is with long-absent cousin Joseph Lees (Rupert Graves), a cultured geologist who lost a leg in a quarry accident. Lees, Eva pines in voiceover, "was like no one else in my family" and is the one person who could set her heart on fire. When they are reunited at a family wedding, the stage is set for poor Harry's suicidal self-destruction (an unconvincingly scripted about-face for the spirited character introduced in the film's first, and best, half). Despite Morton's wrenching performance, sympathy for her increasingly distraught character decreases as the film wears on to its romance novel conclusion. Like her father, viewers will also be asking, "Where's your head, girl?" Not recommended. (K. Lee Benson)