Radiator, film review: A delicately-crafted and moving family drama

(15)​ Tom Browne, 94 mins. Starring: Richard Johnson, Daniel Cerqueira

Leonard (Richard Johnson) is bed-bound and incontinent but is still a domineering bully with a magnificently haughty manner

This is a small-scale but delicately crafted and moving family drama, lent an extra resonance by the fact that it features the final performance from Richard Johnson, who died in June.

Daniel Cerqueira plays Daniel, a middle-aged teacher living in London who heads back to the Lake District to visit his elderly parents. Leonard (Richard Johnson) is bed-bound and incontinent but is still a domineering bully with a magnificently haughty manner, especially when browbeating the son who so clearly disappoints him. Johnson plays him with a swagger that belies his frailty; Gemma Jones is his long-suffering wife.

The film captures beautifully the oscillating emotions of the three main characters – their exasperation and rage, but also the deep-rooted affection they have for one another.