Film Pick of the Week: Good Luck to You, Leo Grande - review by Yvette Huddleston

Following the death of her husband and after decades of a passionless marriage Nancy Stokes (Thompson) decides that having been cautious and conservative all her life, not least when it comes to sexual matters, she wants to have an adventure. One that is purely for herself and focused solely on her own pleasure and desires. As she explains to Leo Grande (Daryl McCormack), the smoothly professional young man she has paid to help her achieve those aims, her marriage was not so much “a furnace of passion that burned out” but rather more like “the bottom drawer of an Aga”. Little attention had been paid to sensuality – or enjoyment, especially hers.

Having been a teacher for so many years, her approach to the situation is practical and no-nonsense – she has written out a list she would like to get through. “All is one session?” says Leo, with a wry smile. The script by actor and comedian Katy Brand allows for some lovely witty back and forths between the two characters and while it is often very funny it is not played entirely for laughs. Intimacy, power dynamics, the sex work industry, the invisibility of older women, the need for and importance of meaningful human connection are among the themes that are explored during their encounters. The generational differences in their attitudes towards sex and pleasure are also interestingly investigated – and Nancy discovers what delights await her when guilt and shame are taken out of the equation.

The film is essentially a two-hander that takes place mostly in one location – a fairly anonymous and corporate hotel bedroom – which gives the whole movie an intimate, theatrical feel. It’s easy to imagine it working well as a stage play. There is a sparky chemistry between Thompson and McCormack and as their relationship tentatively begins to move away from the purely transactional and they begin to reveal things about their lives, both actors bring real depth and poignancy to their characters. Thompson in particular has an interesting narrative arc, as Nancy (not her real name, it turns out) gradually begins to relax and stops trying to control everything, so her character becomes less brittle, more relatable and likeable. Compassionate, warm and entertaining, this is well worth a watch.