I was a bit worried when I walked into the cinema at 10am on a Sunday morning and found it full to capacity. This signals that the film I’m about to watch is possibly a very mainstream one, which is not a bad thing in itself but sometimes feels a bit disappointing at a film festival.

My fears turned out to be true but what a delight this film is. It is set on some far flung Welsh Island where Charles (Tim Key), an affable and socially unaware widower, has decided to spend his lottery winnings on getting his favourite folk-rock duo back together again.

‘McGwyer Mortimer’ are Herb McGwyer (Tom Basden) and Nell Mortimer (Carey Mulligan), who had a moment of fame 10 or so years before. The first to arrive is Herb, who has been promised a lot of money which will help him fund his new solo album. He is grumpy, and self important, and unaware that Nell has also been invited.

There’s a lot of humour in Herb being a fish out of water and also Charles being so unaware of how gauche and inappropriate he is, but it is played with such heart and humour that you never feel there is meanness or that we are laughing at him. There are some well worn themes here, verging on the romantic comedy potential of McGwyer Mortimer getting back together again in more than a musical sense, but happily director James Griffiths leans in to character development and away from neat tropes.

Tom Basden wrote and performs most of the music and Mulligan underplays it well as Nell, bringing in some beautiful harmonies but never really undermining her place as an independent woman who perhaps has moved on from her past in a way that Herb struggles with. The character of Charles really reminded me of my brother-in-law Steve. Steve is a lot more self-aware but has a similar grizzled appearance and tendency to make jokes at sometimes inappropriate moments.

I think what I really liked about this film was that it didn’t give us the expected clichéd ending. It still managed to make me cry while also feeling satisfied with the potential futures and happiness of all the characters involved.

This film won’t offend anyone, and I think we’ll do well at the box office as it hits just the right note of bittersweet melancholy and optimism, something that I think we need more of right now.