Earnest in its exploration of sexual awakening for a widowed 60something year old woman, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande is original as it is important.
Retired schoolteacher Nancy Stokes (Emma Thompson – Love Actually, The Remains of the Day) hires sex-worker Leo Grande (Daryl McCormack – TV’s Bad Sisters, Peaky Blinders) for a day of adventure and sex. An innocuous hotel room provides the setting for the nervous, sexually dissatisfied Nancy as the two, through conversation, form a bond. So much so a few weeks later she hires the charismatic Leo again.
Directed by Sophie Hyde (Animals, Life in Movement), a confined, understated tale of two people unfolds. With a brave, empowering performance from Thompson and a supportive, nuanced McCormack, the two hold the screen alone for more than 90% of the 100 minute running time, resulting in an utterly compelling depiction of not only an older woman’s sexual experience but the unravelling of many of Nancy’s rigid beliefs and values.
Rating: 75%
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