Their Finest
What stands out first about Their Finest is the confidence with which Lone Scherfig establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Their Finest asks Gemma Arterton and Sam Claflin to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Their Finest is established with useful clarity: A former secretary, newly appointed as a scriptwriter for propaganda films, joins the cast and crew of a major production while the Blitz rages around them. That direct approach lets Their Finest use its 1h 57m running time for character, atmosphere and consequence.
As director of Their Finest, Lone Scherfig proves dependable even when the material becomes familiar in the transitions between intimate material and larger demands. A strong scene in Their Finest often begins with a modest detail before Lone Scherfig lets its meaning expand. For Their Finest, familiar choices gain value from committed execution because the central tone remains visible even during busy passages. The weakness in Their Finest is that some developments arrive well before they surprise, although Lone Scherfig usually finds the original rhythm again.
The acting in Their Finest is anchored by Gemma Arterton, who treats even functional scenes as opportunities to reveal character. Sam Claflin answers that approach with a different energy, giving Their Finest welcome friction whenever the pace begins to settle. Around them, Bill Nighy helps Their Finest feel like an ensemble piece rather than a vehicle with decorative support. Under Lone Scherfig, the performances in Their Finest share a tone even when the writing gives them unequal depth.
Rather than summarise every event in Their Finest, it is enough to note how Blitz places the central character under growing pressure. Gemma Arterton gives that tension a face, which stops Their Finest from becoming a mechanical sequence of developments. Lissa Evans uses an important relationship to widen the stakes of Their Finest without losing sight of the original problem. Where a difficult choice becomes predictable, Their Finest recovers interest through the consequences surrounding it.
Their Finest uses its comedy framework to consider embarrassment, status and the gap between confidence and reality. For the character played by Gemma Arterton, that idea gives Their Finest stakes beyond the next immediate obstacle. The recurring pressure of the central character prevents the theme in Their Finest from feeling like decoration added after the story. Lone Scherfig makes Their Finest more thoughtful whenever the implications remain inside action and reaction.
Their Finest gains much of its identity from well judged reactions, a choice that makes the world readable as well as attractive. The contribution of BBC Film allows Their Finest to combine well judged reactions with a consistent visual language. Within its United Kingdom setting, Their Finest makes particularly good use of performer rhythm when the story needs to change scale. Sound and editing preserve the personality of Their Finest by supporting detail instead of announcing every intended response.
Taken as a whole, Their Finest is a satisfying recommendation with minor reservations for comedy fans who respond to personality and timing. Their Finest leaves its strongest impression through well judged reactions, the work of Gemma Arterton and a clear understanding of tone. The limitations around how some developments arrive well before they surprise should be acknowledged, but they do not erase what Their Finest does well. I would return to Their Finest for its personality and its willingness to connect genre pleasure with recognisable feeling.
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