Goodbye Christopher Robin

The magical world of AA Milne's Winnie the Pooh stories continues to enchant generations of young readers, yet this biographical drama suggests a rather darker family history lurks behind the bedtime favourite. In Domhnall Gleeson's straight-backed portrayal, Milne is shown as a somewhat distant father, who faced writer's block when attempting to turn his First World War combat experiences into great literature, found great commercial success when he turned instead to children's fiction, then punishingly exploited his own son Christopher Robin to build the brand worldwide. With his brittle spouse Daphne (Margot Robbie) far from the maternal type, the couple's lack of empathy for their unhappy boy is hard to process, so Simon Curtis's film has Kelly Macdonald's kindly nanny on hand to add warmth and common sense. It's a film perhaps lacking a central focus, but dimple-cheeked Will Tilston's touching contribution as young master Christopher helps make the true story behind a beloved classic both startling and affecting.