Their Finest

Their Finest (2017), Lone Scherfig's wartime drama, is available to watch online on iFILM. London is taking nightly hits in 1940 when the Ministry of Information hires young copywriter Catrin Cole to punch up dialogue for a morale film meant to lift a worn-down nation, and to add a touch of what the men dismissively call "the slop."

Played by Gemma Arterton, Catrin lands among a sneering all-male crew and starts dramatizing the true-ish story of two sisters who took their father's boat to rescue soldiers off Dunkirk. Beside her sit sharp-tongued producer Buckley (Sam Claflin) and fading screen star Ambrose Hilliard, whom Bill Nighy clearly relishes playing. They shoot between air raids, knowing the next blast could flatten the set.

Adapted from Lissa Evans' novel, the film is about how invented heroics on screen kept a real country standing, and about a woman who carved out a place where nobody invited her. Warm, funny and harder-edged than it looks, it's a treat for anyone who loves British period pieces and movies about making movies. Stream Their Finest (2017) online on iFILM.