Une vie

A powerful, superbly acted tale of bravery and unsung heroism.

The film is quite gripping in its attention to the bureaucratic hurdles and mind-boggling logistics that Nicky and soon his mother (Bonham Carter), a German-Jewish refugee herself, must surmount to start moving children to safety.

Anthony Hopkins is sensational in James Hawes' otherwise fairly conventional biopic of Nicholas Winton, who was responsible for rescuing hundreds of Jewish children from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia.

It’s a stirring story, and one it’s impossible to watch without considering Britain’s present-day reluctance when it comes to offering shelter to those most in need of it.

It’s a story of wartime Europe and postwar memory, and also a noble and inspired moment in the history of British popular TV.

When Winton sees the children he saved, grown up and apparently flourishing, it helps him make sense of his life and tells us everything we need.