In 1968 amateur sailor Donald Crowhurst (Colin Firth) entered the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race to circumnavigate the world single-handedly without stopping. Leaving his wife Claire (Rachel Weisz) and his three children behind he has to deal with an unfinished boat, the elements and the financial pressures placed on him by his adventure.

Being completely unaware of the true story this film is based on perhaps made it even more emotionally affecting than it might have been. Firth and Weisz are both able to wring out emotion with a modicum of words in a film with an economical running time of only 101 minutes. Swiftly racing through the set up to why Crowhurst wants to enter the race we are quickly presented with the apprehension of actually setting out to sea and the loneliness both Donald and Claire face whilst he is away.

Firth quietly trembling when doing up his buttons on the day he sets out and Weisz showing strength for her children are the sort of understated performances that don’t win awards but do make for good storytelling. A great supporting turn from David Thewlis as Crowhurst’s publicist caps off a quiet, confidently told film.