The Bookshop

Have you watched The Bookshop? It's a quiet but charming film about a young widow who opens an independent bookshop in a small seaside village, despite some local opposition. It's based on the novel by Penelope Fitzgerald, and stars Emily Mortimer (as the bookshop owner), Bill Nighy (as a hermit-like bookworm), Patricia Clarkson (as a snooty busybody), and also young Honor Kneafsey (who performs delightfully as a part-time assistant in the bookshop). 

Watch on YouTube

The film portrays small-town mindsets and the pressures of conformity to unwritten social rules. It also shows the quiet determination of the bookshop owner in the face of interference and even treachery. It has its humorous moments, but it's also a rather melancholy film overall. The ending puzzled me a little, as an aspect of it seemed unlikely, but I won't spoil it for anyone who now wishes to watch it for themselves.