From director Michael Winterbottom (24 Hour Party People, A Mighty Heart), I heard bits and pieces about this feature length drama done in a relatively alternative way, where it is all filmed in real time, and it certainly adds to the realism of the story. Basically, filmed over a real period of five years, and with all four children played by real siblings, this tells the story of mother Karen (Shirley Henderson) who cares for her our children, Shaun (Shaun Kirk), Robert (Robert Kirk), Katrina (Katrina Kirk) and Stephanie (Stephanie Kirk) while their father Ian (John Simm) serves his time in prison for drug smuggling (although his crime may in fact be unspecified). When Karen does go with her children to visit Ian the journey is always long and laborious because he moves from prison to prison, and there is also a journey to get the children to school and back, but life goes on as usual. Day to day life for the family has repetitive routines, such as getting up early for the visits, brushing their teeth, working at the pub, eating meals, attending school, watching television and other mundane things, but Karen being lonely is also sleeping with Eddie (Darren Tighe) from the pub. Ian enjoys the visits from his wife and children very much, and despite being with bored with hardly anything to do in prison he always looks forward to hearing what his family are up to since they last saw him, the children grow fast and he misses spending personal time with his wife, and she feels the same. It is towards the end of his sentence that Ian gets the opportunity to spend a full day with Karen, Shaun, Robert, Katrina and Stephanie, so they go to their favourite spot the beach, before taking the children to town and the couple finally getting a room to be intimate in a short time. Finally the day comes when Ian is released having served his time, he is happy to see Karen and the children and be able to go home with them, he familiarises himself with life back where he belongs, but he is upset when Karen confesses her infidelity, but he forgives her in the end and they are all happy. Also starring Polly Kossowicz as School Teacher, Valerie Lilley as Grandmother and Peter Gunn as Shop Manager. Henderson gives a believably honest performance as the wife who is bored and needing her husband back and does everything she can to support and care well for her children, Simm gets his moments as the father who looks forward to every time he has with his family and looks forward to his release, and the four children who we see grow in real time are cute and endearing. The fact that this film was made over a period of five years is a very interesting concept, it definitely helps you believe the story of a troubled but loving family, the really related children ageing on screen is one of the key parts of what makes this film feel like a documentary, I agree it is emotionally draining in some way throughout, but it is an exceptional drama. Very good!