The Catholic man “Cal” (played by John Lynch) shares a home with his father (Donal McCann) in an area dominated by Protestants, and they face constant threats of violence intended to drive them out. Despite this, they’re set on staying put, but Cal also carries a burden related to his work as a driver for Republican enforcer “Crilly” (Stevan Rimkus) and his superior, “Skeffington” (John Kavanagh). He's developed a connection with Marcella (Helen Mirren), a widowed librarian who lives away from town on her family’s farm; her husband was an RUC officer killed at their home, and her grandfather suffered serious injuries. Cal begins to try and get closer to her, and as the narrative unfolds, more details emerge about what binds them together and could potentially lead to their downfall. Much of the film's impact comes from Ray McAnally’s portrayal of “Dunlop,” a farm manager whose character highlights the uncomfortable truth that cruelty existed on all sides. The brutality, though toned down, gives some sense of both the hatred and how deeply it affected a society so clearly split. Symbols like flags functioned as weapons just as they did during the Battle of the Boyne. Helen Mirren’s performance felt lacking; her portrayal occasionally came across as weak and overly sentimental. Because the ending becomes predictable early on, the story never quite manages to take off. Mark Knopfler composed the score, but it only offered a few memorable pieces rather than being consistently impactful—perhaps reflecting the film's somewhat fragmented nature, which places a romance against the backdrop of something resembling a guerrilla war. It’s worth seeing and certainly felt relevant given that the IRA and a newly re-elected British government seemed unwilling to find common ground at the time, but it doesn't fully convey the disturbing reality of everyday life for people on both sides.

Source on TMDB