The subject matter of the film is not an easy one. Cumberbatch plays a father, Stephen, who's daughter goes missing in a supermarket and is literally never seen again. Subsequently, his marriage breaks down and his wife Julie (Kelly MacDonald) leaves him to retire to a cottage near the sea.
At the same time, Charles, his best friend and publisher also retires to the country and regresses into a child-like state.
Cumberbatch is magical in this TV adaptation. Playing a normal, every day man, I have to say it's such a lovely change from the usual characters he plays. He has that amazing ability to portray someone who has the weight of the world on his shoulders - and I just love watching the hell out of him.
There is a particularly agonizing scene in which Stephen believes he has spotted his daughter amongst a crowd of school children - only to get it wrong. After being assured that the girl isn't his daughter, he breaks down in tears in the teacher's office.
There are few complaints that I have: one being that the plot was a little jagged in edges, focusing on Stephen's grief and shifting to the decline of his friend's mental health.
The ending is the biggest problem for me. It is a happy one, with Julie surprisingly giving birth to a son - a new life for the two of them, but then it just cut away. Being such a positive moment, it should have lingered a little more on it. It felt like giant speed bump in an otherwise smooth ride.
Overall, it's a pretty taxing to watch at times - but the magnificent performances make it worthwhile.
At the same time, Charles, his best friend and publisher also retires to the country and regresses into a child-like state.
Cumberbatch is magical in this TV adaptation. Playing a normal, every day man, I have to say it's such a lovely change from the usual characters he plays. He has that amazing ability to portray someone who has the weight of the world on his shoulders - and I just love watching the hell out of him.
There is a particularly agonizing scene in which Stephen believes he has spotted his daughter amongst a crowd of school children - only to get it wrong. After being assured that the girl isn't his daughter, he breaks down in tears in the teacher's office.
There are few complaints that I have: one being that the plot was a little jagged in edges, focusing on Stephen's grief and shifting to the decline of his friend's mental health.
The ending is the biggest problem for me. It is a happy one, with Julie surprisingly giving birth to a son - a new life for the two of them, but then it just cut away. Being such a positive moment, it should have lingered a little more on it. It felt like giant speed bump in an otherwise smooth ride.
Overall, it's a pretty taxing to watch at times - but the magnificent performances make it worthwhile.