Sometimes Always Never (2018), directed by Carl Hunter

Despite some laugh-out-loud moments this is not a comedy, but a rather sad exploration of father-son relationships and the nature of grief and regret. Bill Nighy employs a slightly dodgy northern accent as Alan, a man searching for his son who walked out on a family game of scrabble and never came back. It only gradually becomes apparent that this must have happened a long time ago, as Alan’s other son now has a teenage son of his own. The timeline seems to be deliberately confusing, as although the use of smartphones places the film firmly in the present, the clothes, décor and even cars evoke a past era. Sam Riley as the second son is excellent; Jenny Agutter is beautiful as a temporary love interest; and Alexei Sayle provides a quirky cameo. A laboured metaphor of the prodigal son and the one left behind is tedious in its repetition and there is some truly terrible camera work, with weird angles and close-ups, wide sweeps and many shots out of focus. This is probably meant to be arty but is just annoying. A seemingly gently feel-good ending contains a baffling final image, which is an odd, unsettling way to finish the film – posing questions that didn’t need to be asked.