This film was a very pleasant surprise and a nice romance set in post-WWII Northern England. Ellen (Barbara Marten) has lived in the same industrial mill town all of her life, surrounded by the constant noise of steam engines and a dire working class existence.

She and her dull husband have grown apart, but when their son Victor's (Edward Woodcock) teacher begins taking a special interest in his artistic abilities, Ellen's life also becomes more interesting. Soon the meetings are about Ellen and the younger Kathy (Andrina Carroll) and their growing friendship and love.

Ellen struggles with issues of duty to her marriage and parents, and working towards her own real happiness for the first time in her life. The journey is not an easy one, but she summons the courage to follow her heart.

Barbara Marten's performance as Ellen is wonderfully compelling, and the film is a lovely (not yet sexual) romance between two very real characters in the 1950s.