Hollow Reed

Martyn (Donovan) is a gay doctor estranged from his wife Hannah (Richardson). Visited by their 9-year-old son Oliver, who lives with his mother, Martyn suspects that the blood on the boy's face is not the result of school bullying but something more sinister. Is Oliver being abused by Hannah's lover Frank (Flemyng)? Hannah, however, rejects the notion out of hand, impelling Martyn to sue for custody. Trouble is, Oliver's so frightened, and reluctant to upset his mum, that he won't speak out against Frank. Besides, there's also the fact that Martyn lives with Tom (Hart) - and a gay man, in the eyes of the law, is unlikely to be deemed a better parent than a heterosexual woman. Sensitive, intelligent and affecting, Pope's film derives much of its emotional punch from its cast: Donovan gives an especially fine, focused performance, Richardson scrapes together some sympathy for a character whose blinkered gullibility is frequently infuriating, and young Sam Bould is admirable as Oliver.