In a small East Anglian village in 1959, a freethinking widow (Emily Mortimer) decides to open a bookshop. There is considerable and highly stuffy opposition to this (personified by local grand dame Patricia Clarkson), but on her side is the town’s reclusive bibliophile (a scene-stealing Bill Nighy). Based on the best-selling novel by Penelope Fitzgerald and adapted by Isabel Coixet (The Secret Life of Words, My Life Without Me), this is an ever-so-slightly understated and subversive film for lovers of great acting; the kind where there’s a lot going on despite nearly nothing happening. (113 min)