While O'Sullivan (Ordinary Decent Criminal) gives the film an intriguing look, it's simply not very well directed. The production design seems unusually murky, from the drab blue-grey of the 1930s scenes to dusty-misty beige in the '40s, all accompanied by Nicholas Hooper's pretty but mopey score. It looks, feels and sounds utterly lifeless, despite strong performances from Williams and Bettany that are full of passion and life. Bonham Carter is good, but there's a problem in that she's played this character before ... in much better films (to name three: A Room with a View, Howard's End, The Wings of the Dove). We know she's free-spirited because she wears colourful outfits and paints all the time, steals her sister's hapless husband for no good reason, has a lesbian friend (Reid) and causes carnage everywhere. But we never have a clue what Dinah sees in Rickie. We can perhaps understand him falling for the more colourful sister, but why would she fall for this profoundly weak-willed man? This problem isn't in the script; it's in the direction, which is obvious, dull, humourless and completely lacking in the passion that so badly needs to be up on the screen (a sex scene doesn't do this, quite obviously). Since we never feel any passion, the whole film feels forced and lacklustre, which is a real pity because the elements are all here; they just weren't marshalled in any meaningful way.