Movies have always provided people with the perfect form of escapism, even if it has just been after a tiring week at work. Never has this be more underlined than during the height of World War II, when the British ministry continued to churn out films to keep its inhabitants entertained. This is the period during which the upcoming romantic comedy Their Finest is set, and now its lead star Gemma Arterton has insisted that the film itself is a reminder of how inspirational the medium can be. The Quantum Of Solace actress explained:
I think film, I think art in general, I think the message of the film is that in desperate times we need that, we need art, and it can really influence us and change us. Not even in desperate times, it's just the power of it. I think it can, I think that's why La La Land has been such a huge success. At a time when people really needed an optimistic, fun film -- even though it's bitter sweet - I think it was such a success because it came at a time when people were feeling pretty bad, and they needed it. Film is really powerful, and for unknown reasons you can be in floods of tears or really inspired, it depends on the individual, but it gets through to people and I think that's what this film is all about.
Gemma Arterton made this admission to me when I sat down with the actress to discuss Their Finest at the end of March. An adaptation of Lissa Evans' novel, Their Finest earned impressive reviews when it was screened at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival, with Gemma Arterton's leading performance, Bill Nighy's comedic relief and director Lone Scherfig coming in for particular praise.
Set in 1940, when Nazi Germany was overwhelming the English, Their Finest tells the tale of burgeoning scriptwriter Catrin Cole (Gemma Arterton), who is just in charge of writing the female dialogue, lead scriptwriter Tom Buckley (Sam Clafin) and actor Ambrose Hilliard (Bill Nighy) trying to create a propaganda film based on Dunkirk. You can watch the trailer for Their Finest by clicking below.
Meanwhile, you can also watch a snippet of my discussion with Gemma Arterton regarding Their Finest right here, too.
Their Finest will be released in theaters on April 7.
