Downton Abbey may have the grand estates and polished manners—but this overlooked World War I drama hits where it hurts and leaves viewers carrying its heartbreak long after the music stops. Forget the battlefield spectacle. This deeply moving British gem turns its attention to the quieter casualties of war—the families left behind, the love stories torn apart, and the grief people are forced to hide behind closed doors.
Alan Bennett’s new film, directed by Nicholas Hytner, is a quiet and consistent pleasure: an unsentimental but deeply felt drama which subcontracts actual passion to the music…