Joe's Palace

A stellar cast led by Sir Michael Gambon, Rupert Penry-Jones, Kelly Reilly, Rebecca Hall and newcomer Danny Lee Wynter star in the latest BBC One film from acclaimed writer-director Stephen Poliakoff. Elliot (Michael Gambon) lives close by but is unable to stay in the palatial house he has inherited; it has too many echoes of the past. Once a venue for sumptuous parties and soirées, the house has become a stultifying legacy that haunts Elliot, riddled with mysteries and unanswered questions. Part messenger, part protégé, Joe (Danny Lee Wynter) is a link between Elliot and the outside world as their story and the stories of the visitors to the empty building ricochet and reverberate. Richard (Rupert Penry-Jones), a high-flying cabinet minister, conducts an illicit affair with Charlotte (Kelly Reilly) at Elliot's empty mansion. For the lovers the building provides a luxurious refuge, but as time passes and their love affair unravels, it feels more like a prison. Joe, Elliot and Tina (Rebecca Hall), a young woman they befriend from the local delicatessen, join forces and discover the dark secret at the heart of Elliot's past. In a contemporary film about memories and mysteries of a past life, the sins of the father are finally revealed in a cathartic climax. Joe's Palace ends as Elliot finally feels able to move on with his life with optimism and hope.