This is a story of the
coming together of sad and lonely people in a gentle, moving and heart-warming
way.
Jonathan Toomey (Tom
Berenger) is a lonely ill-tempered and reclusive woodcarver who lives in a
cabin in the woods.
He is lonely because
he has lost his wife and child and he is ill-tempered because he is angry about
his loss.
Thomas McDowell (Luke
Ward-Wilkinson) is sad because he lost his father in the war.
When he moves to the country
with his mother and he suffers further heart break when, on the journey, he
loses the treasured wooden nativity set that held a special meaning for him and
his dead father,
So his worried mother,
Susan (Joely Richardson), persuades the curmudgeonly woodcarver to create a
replacement set, and to allow her son to watch him work on it.
A curious relationship
then develops during the commission as the young boy makes greater and more
difficult demands of the woodcarver's ability, and as Christmas approaches, the
three of them struggle to come to terms with each other and their painful
memories of the past.
A lovely and very
enjoyable, film beautifully shot with idyllic chocolate box scenes of the
country.
There is also a strong
supporting cast and even a small part for the always excellent Saoirse Ronan who
never disappoints.
All in all a very good
watch.
