On a Clear Day

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On a Clear Day ★★½ 2005 (PG-13)

Frank (Mullan) is a 55-year-old Glasgow shipbuilder who has been laid off after 35 years. At odds with himself and his family, Frank regularly meets his mates at the local swimming pool, where an offhand remark sets him on his new goal—to swim the English Channel. He begins training in secret, thus causing his anxious wife Joan (Blethyn) to suspect he's having an affair. Frank also grapples with some past sorrows that have caused a rift between himself and son Rob (Sives). Mullan portrays Frank as such a gruff bloke that the mawkishness is kept at bay. 99m/C DVD . GB Peter Mullan, Brenda Blethyn, Sean McGinley, Jamie Sives, Billy Boyd, Ron Cook, Jodhi May, Benedict Wong, Shaun Dingwall, Anne-Marie Timoney, Tony Roper, Paul Ritter; D: Gaby Dellal; W: Alex Rose; C: David Johnson; M: Stephen Warbeck.