GurlyIamBeach Instant Favorite.

Sameer Callahan It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Phillipa Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

yjudith Im looking at all the 9s and 10s and Im wondering if I should watch this movie again....not!!! I considered not playing the second disc at all that's how much i wasnt enjoying it. This film was way too slow, especially the first disc, to be considered gripping or intriguing. Absolutely not a thriller. After being fired from his job, Tom Rondstadt goes back to his childhood home and almost immediately starts to flashback to an incident that led him to leave home in the first place; an incident between him and his father, Sam. Getting answers to the rising questions Tom has for his dad is difficult because dad has Alzheimers. The movie just stutter steps to me. When there is a revelation, I really couldn't care less. This was a great story, I just dont think it was executed well; it needed more intensity. I didnt care for the ending either. As things are falling into place and more and more truth is revealed, it was like a snowball rolling down a hill and it's getting bigger...then stalls. I did like the exposure Alzheimer's received by making it a huge focal point and the phenomenal job Jim Broadbent did this role. John Simm did a great job as well.

bbewnylorac John Simm is such an intelligent and under-rated actor. Not overly suave or good looking, but great at playing the troubled everyman. Here he has a role that fits like a glove: a sacked London journalist (with the clichéd alcohol and drug dependence) forced to return to his home town where his sister Nancy (the superb Olivia Colman) is caring for their father (Jim Broadbent) who has Alzheimer's. The plot follows Simm's character's attempts to solve a mystery from his Dad's past. It's more a study of a fractured family than a great thriller, but I think Simm could read the phone book and be interesting. He's good at conveying wry humour, attraction to the opposite sex, a kind of basic integrity and passion. I'd like to see him in a regular series with some of that salty humour and energy. He's yet to get the profile he deserves.

TheLittleSongbird Exile did look very interesting, and of course I'd watch anything with Jim Broadbent in it. But in all honesty, I was not expecting it to be this good. Exile was both an intense and moving drama and actually one of my personal favourites of this year so far. It is beautifully and stylishly filmed, the story really gripped and moved me and the writing is superb, while it is always reflective and involving with the more intense parts genuinely so it also makes some good relevant points without feeling too unsubtle. The direction is also very good, it helps move the drama along nicely-Exile I found very well-paced from the start- and some of the camera shots are among the best I've seen in any drama so far this year. The characters are also very rich and well-written and realised, especially with Nancy and you do feel a lot of sympathy for Sam too. The acting is outstanding, here John Simm breaks away from his typecast persona and delivers a more gritty, hard-nosed and intense performance which he does splendidly. Olivia Colman has a ball playing her rich character and Shaun Dooley and Timothy West are great to watch. But special mention has to go to Jim Broadbent, based on personal experience Broadbent's portrayal of an Alzheimers-sufferer is just heart-wrenching. All in all, brilliant drama with outstanding acting and strong emotional impact, not to mention a harrowing ending which profoundly affected me even long after the drama was over. 10/10 Bethany Cox

angry_aki In this unique tale of a man whom has fallen from the graces of high flying London, comes a story of one man's endeavour to uncover the truths surrounding his native hometown and the circumstances that forces him to leave and become a different man. After spending the majority of his life running from his past Tom Ronstadt (John Simm), decides that running is no longer an option. This story highlights some very true realities surrounding Alzheimer's disease and the heartache that families must deal with in regards to those effected. Spanning from personal experience Jim Broadbent plays the character affected with pin-point accuracy and gives the character more edge than has ever been seen with his more lovable characters. Simm does also not disappoint with his new break from typecasting, his take on the washed out son is more intense than we have seen of him in a long time. This truly is a piece of gritty drama that will define the year.