Calling all period drama fans! If, like me, you love a good forbidden love story, you’re in for a treat. The new romance film, Prisoners of Paradise, is just days away from premiering in the UK – and it’s definitely on my watchlist.
Ellie Bamber stars as Lucy, a recently orphaned young woman sent to Mauritius to live with her uncle, where she embarks on a forbidden romance with a local labourer. A high-drama tale set against a sun-soaked coastal backdrop? Count me in!
© Alamy Stock Photo
If you love rule-breaking romances like Brideshead Revisited or Atonement, you might want to put Prisoners of Paradise on your watchlist.
Keep reading to find out more…
What is Prisoners of Paradise about?
Directed by Mitch Jenkins and based on the book of the same name by Romesh Gunsekera, the film follows a young woman sent to live under her uncle’s care in Mauritius in 1925. Before long, she falls head over heels for a handsome local.
The official synopsis reads: “Love was their greatest rebellion. Set on the enchanting island of Mauritius in 1925, recently orphaned Lucy is sent to live with her charming but controlling uncle.
© Alamy Stock Photo
“When she defies his plans to marry her off for financial gain, she falls deeply in love with Krishna, a handsome local labourer. To be together, Lucy and Krishna must risk everything and defy a world determined to tear them apart.”
Who stars in Prisoners of Paradise?
Ellie Bamber (The Serpent) and Mehdi Dehbi (Messiah) lead the cast as star-crossed lovers Lucy and Krishna.
© Max Cisotti/Dave Benett/Getty Im
They’re joined by Rupert Penry-Jones (Whitechapel), Rhona Mitra (Supergirl), Edward Akrout (Strangers), JJ Feild (Captain America: The First Avenger) and Amy Beth Hayes (Mr Selfridge).
Prisoners of Paradise will be available to own from Monday 10 August in the UK.
More brilliant period dramas about love
- War and Peace – Based on Leo Tolstoy’s classic 1869 novel, this sweeping period drama follows the lives of three young Russian aristocrats – Pierre Bezukhov (Paul Dano), Prince Andrei Bolkonsky (James Norton) and Natasha Rostova (Lily James) – as they experience love and loss during Napoleon’s invasion of Russia. Watch on BBC iPlayer.
- The Narrow Road to the Deep North – Starring Jacob Elordi, this compelling drama charts the life of Dorrigo Evans, through his passionate romance with Amy Mulvaney, his time held captive in a prisoner-of-war camp, and his later years working as a respected surgeon. Watch on BBC iPlayer.
- The Buccaneers – Based on Edith Wharton’s unfinished novel, this 1870s-set series follows five wealthy American women who are sent to London’s high society to secure marriages. Watch on Apple TV.
