Caitlin Thomas and Vera Killick lead a free spirited bohemian lifestyle, one being the wife of poet Dylan Thomas, the other the object of his affections. When Vera marries William Killick the damage of such a lifestyle starts to show, the lies the betrayals and the pain...

The Edge of Love (2008) was directed by John Maybury, from a script by Keira Knightley’s mother, Sharman Macdonald. Whilst the initial reaction of knowing that the film involved Dylan Thomas would be a biopic, the reality is that the film is very much about Vera and her relationships, only one of which is with Dylan Thomas. The film was shot in both London and Wales and where possible in the actual locations.

Keira Knightley plays Vera who had slept with Dylan (Matthew Rhys) when they were both teenagers, an event which Dylan has romanticised. When they meet again in war torn London, she working as a singer whilst he writes poetry and propaganda films, Dylan continues to be drawn to Vera, even though he has married the very feisty Caitlin (Sienna Miller). Surprisingly the two women form a strong friendship, which is further complicated when Vera meets William, creating a four way relationship which gets out of hand when he returns from the war to discover the other three are in a complex sexual relationship.

Don’t think that just because the script has been written by her mother that this is some sort of vanity project. Sharman Macdonald has produced a moving script, which brings out all of the nuances of this complicated relationship. Dylan is charismatic, but at the same time utterly destructive, in his relationships with women, who he uses as his muse. He seems to feel that as a poet he has the right to use other people's lives to fuel his art. This seems to work with Vera and Caitlin, who are both infatuated with him. William, however, is a much straighter character in his relationships and does not take Dylan sleeping with his wife well.

The cast is superb and very believable in their portrayal. Kiera, beautiful as ever, turns out to have a lilting singing voice that she uses well in the film. Her journey, as Vera, is bittersweet as she gradually realises that she loves her husband, even though Dylan will go to extraordinary lengths to get rid of him. Nobody, apart from Dylan, walks away from the relationship unscathed; although he is playing an essentially unsympathetic character, Matthew Rhys delivers a very powerful performance. Miller's character, Caitlin, starts as a strong, vivacious character, but her relationship with Dylan and Vera’s betrayal of her slowly destroys her.

The cinematography is gorgeous, full of rich brown hues for the London scenes which changes to a stark brightness for the scenes shot in Wales. The brightness highlights the light under which the relationship is held, a light which eventually exposes the true cost of their games, pain and hypocrisy.

The film has a clean 16:9 print with a 5.1 Dolby audio track and a full-length commentary with John Maybury and Matthew Rhys. There are some deleted scenes, a gag reel, photo gallery and interviews with the cast.

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Charles Packer