DramaComedy

Intimate Relations

- What will the neighbours say?

In 1950s England, sailor Harold Guppy arrives in a small seaside town looking for his estranged brother. After a brief reunion, Harold finds a room for rent in the house of Mrs. Beasley, her meek husband and their teenage daughter, Joyce. It's clear that Harold has a troubled past, but his future is about to get more perilous yet. Despite the rosy surface, Harold soon finds himself in a tawdry sexual tug-of-war that won't end well.

Release Date : 1996-10-01

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Handmade FilmsBoxer FilmsParagon Entertainment Corp.Fox Searchlight Pictures

Production Country : CanadaUnited Kingdom

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Marjorie

Original Name : Julie Walters

Gender : Female

Character Name : Harold

Original Name : Rupert Graves

Gender : Male

Character Name : Stanley

Original Name : Matthew Walker

Gender : Male

Character Name : Joyce

Original Name : Laura Sadler

Gender : Female

Character Name : Deirdre

Original Name : Holly Aird

Gender : Female

Character Name : Maurice

Original Name : Les Dennis

Gender : Male

Character Name : Iris

Original Name : Elizabeth McKechnie

Gender : Female

Character Name : Bobby

Original Name : Nicholas Hoult

Gender : Male

Character Name : George

Original Name : James Aidan

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mr. Pugh

Original Name : Michael Bertenshaw

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mrs. Fox-Davies

Original Name : Judy Clifton

Gender : Female

Character Name : Deirdre's Baby

Original Name : Christopher Cook

Gender : Male

Character Name : Pauline

Original Name : Candace Hallinan

Gender : Male

Character Name : Hotel Receptionist

Original Name : Charles Hart

Gender : Male

Character Name : Car Vendor

Original Name : George Hart

Gender : Male

Character Name : Pamela

Original Name : Amanda Holden

Gender : Female

Character Name : Jean

Original Name : Annie Keller

Gender : Male

Character Name : Enid

Original Name : Elsie Kelly

Gender : Female

Character Name : Mr. Jarvis

Original Name : Gary Meredith

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mrs. Latimer

Original Name : Sarah Jane McKechnie

Gender : Male

Character Name : Valerie

Original Name : Lucy Rivers

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mrs. Clitherow

Original Name : Sonya Sadler

Gender : Male

Character Name : Girl at Swimming Pool

Original Name : Leanne Summers

Gender : Male

Character Name : Herself (Archive Footage)

Original Name : Princess Margaret

Gender : Female

Reviews

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

2024-01-12

Based on a true story, Harold (Rupert Graves) arrives home after a spell at sea and finds rejection at home from his sister-in-law. Forced to seek lodgings elsewhere, he alights on Marjorie (Julie Walters) who shares a room with her teenage daughter whilst her husband sleeps separately for "medical reasons"! Initially all goes well, they all bond nicely and he settles in as one of the family. The applecart gets a bit upset, though, when Marjorie decides that she's got the hots for her new tenant and after some very timid rebuttals, he soon acquiesces to her demands! The daughter, Joyce (Laura Sadler), meantime, is fully aware of her mother's peccadilloes and threatening to tell her father, insists that she becomes part of their games. Not the sex part, no, but she essentially treats him like an indulgent new father - and one with whom she becomes increasingly infatuated. Needless to say, this situation cannot continue but it's only when he tries to end things that he discovers that his older paramour is quite prepared to make his life a criminal misery with some heinous allegations should he try to escape this web of deceit - before a picnic brings things to a tragic and definitive head! Walters and Graves are both fine here, but they don't gel especially well together and that's quite crucial to the addictive nature of this story. The sex scenes are almost comedic at times and the ease with which this menage-à-trois seems to thrive rather robs the film of much of a sense of jeopardy, or even that they might be doing something wrong and immoral. It does look good but the narrative is a bit flat and disappointing, I found.