Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont (2005) was co-written and directed by Dan Ireland. It was based on a novel by Elizabeth Taylor. (The writer, not the actor.)
Joan Plowright portrays Mrs Palfrey, an older woman who moves into the Claremont Hotel. (This is a residence hotel. It's sort of like Fawlty Towers without the comedy.) All of the other residents are lonely and isolated, and so is Mrs. Palfrey. Her grandson, who lives in London, doesn't visit her.
By chance, Mrs. Palfrey meets an impoverished writer, Ludo, played by Rupert Friend. Ludo stands in for the neglectful grandson, and Palfrey and Ludo develop a real relationship.
Plowright and Friend are superb actors, and the movie flourishes because of their skills. On the other hand, in the plot, Mrs. Palfrey does nothing to relieve her loneliness. She could do more than eat in silence and go to bed. Her happiness shouldn't depend on whether or not her grandson visits her. (To be fair, the plot of the movie sticks very closely to the novel, so we can't blame director Ireland for that.)
Mrs. Palfrey has a strong IMDb rating of 7.6. I didn't think it was quite that good, and rated it 7.
Joan Plowright portrays Mrs Palfrey, an older woman who moves into the Claremont Hotel. (This is a residence hotel. It's sort of like Fawlty Towers without the comedy.) All of the other residents are lonely and isolated, and so is Mrs. Palfrey. Her grandson, who lives in London, doesn't visit her.
By chance, Mrs. Palfrey meets an impoverished writer, Ludo, played by Rupert Friend. Ludo stands in for the neglectful grandson, and Palfrey and Ludo develop a real relationship.
Plowright and Friend are superb actors, and the movie flourishes because of their skills. On the other hand, in the plot, Mrs. Palfrey does nothing to relieve her loneliness. She could do more than eat in silence and go to bed. Her happiness shouldn't depend on whether or not her grandson visits her. (To be fair, the plot of the movie sticks very closely to the novel, so we can't blame director Ireland for that.)
Mrs. Palfrey has a strong IMDb rating of 7.6. I didn't think it was quite that good, and rated it 7.