The film is about the troubled relationship between an overbearing father and an overly sensitive son. It's based on a memoir by poet and novelist Blake Morrison.

James Broadbent stars as Arthur, a loud, always critical father who is oblivious to how his domineering behavior affects his son even though he clearly loves the son.

Colin Firth plays Blake, the brooding, emotionally wounded adult son. Two different young actors play the son at different ages as the movie flows back and forth in time.

In the present Arthur is dying of cancer and Blake is starting to realize he will never have a healing conversation with his dad.

What makes the movie so good is that the characters are fully human, and the actors are first rate.

And although the movie is about a father who doesn't understand his son, we are allowed to see some good in the father and the flaws in the son.

Overall the mood of "When Did You Last See Your Father" is far from cheerful, but the film does answer its own question in a strong climax that mixes time and memory in a very satisfying way.

When did you last see a movie about the love-hate relationship between fathers and sons?

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