Declared by Sam Jordison of Film 4 to be ‘thoughtful, warm and well acted’, Shadows in the Sun was directed by David Rocksavage and written by Rocksavage and Margaret Glover. It tells the tale of how a mysterious young loner influences the lives of a family which leads them to rediscover their roots and their deep affection for one another. Set in the late 1960s, Hannah (Jean Simmons) is an elderly grandma who lives alone on the beautiful, if rather remote, north Norfolk coast. Caught in a time warp where not much has altered in fifty years, Hannah is content in her surroundings with her poetry, her garden and her cannabis supplied by her young friend, Joe (Jamie Dornan). Things inevitably begin to change when Hannah’s son, Robert (James Wilby), arrives with Kate (Ophelia Lovibond), his teenage daughter, and Sam (Toby Marlowe), his ten-year-old son. Whilst Robert is extremely suspicious of Joe, Kate is drawn to him and Sam begins a discovery all of his own as he begins to explore the surrounding countryside … as well as a nearby ship wreck … leading to a series of rather dramatic incidents. Despite the Film 4 review, Shadows in the Sun received a mixed critical response.

Release / Airing: 05/06/2009