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****
Dir: Paul McGuigan (15 105 mins)
A bittersweet true-life romance that pulls at the heartstrings with two wonderful central performances, Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool is uplifting celluloid. Adapted from Peter Turner’s memoir, we follow Gloria Grahame (Annette Bening, excellent as ever), a former Oscar-winning Hollywood star, fading in the UK, who meets aspiring young actor Peter Turner (Jamie Bell), in the late 1970s. This is a May/December romance full of charm and tenderness, but when things don’t work out, they remain friends. Grahame also finally admits that she is ill and following a collapse on a stage tour, asks to come and live with Peter and his parents (Julie Walter and Kenneth Cranham) in Liverpool, convinced that it will aid her recovery. Frustrated dreams, the especially harsh acting world for women and a beautiful beguiling friendship are movingly captured by director McGuigan and his superb cast.
Opens November 17