'To Olivia’ a heart-warming, emotional feature

Renowned author Roald Dahl has written numerous books that children have read and enjoyed. Some of them include: ‘James and the Giant Peach,’ ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox,’ ‘The BFG,’ ‘Matilda,’ ‘The Witches,’ and, of course, ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,’ among many others.

What some people may not know is the terrible tragedy that Dahl and his wife were going through before he began writing the children’s book that will turn him into a household name. Now, you can see one of his toughest moments ever in this emotional, heart-felt drama ‘To Olivia.’

In 1962, Dahl was an upcoming children’s author, and his wife Patricia Neal was a Hollywood movie star. This unlikely pairing retreated to the English countryside to bring up their expanding young family, only for their lives to be turned upside down when their daughter Olivia contracted the measles virus and passed away.

Her death devastated the couple, yet their shared grief became a source of redemption and strength, Neal going on to win an Oscar and Dahl writing the book which made him a household name.

‘To Olivia’ is a moving, and at times, charming little film that should be on everyone’s must watch list during the Summer Film Festival at the Dietrich. It delivers incredible performances and also dives into the effects of losing a child.

Hugh Bonneville and Keeley Hawes give exceptionally brilliant performances as Roald Dahl and Patricia Neal respectively. In fact, in the film, the lead actors resemble their real-life characters really well. The scenes that feature Dahl and Neal are filled with warmth and heart and you can tell that their love and humor is what drives their relationship.

‘To Olivia’ gets really emotional once their young daughter tragically passes away. The film also shows how losing a child can affect families and how each one has his or her own way of coping and getting through a tragedy. A few of the scenes which show a depressed Dahl are really heart-breaking and can make you shed a tear or two.

Before viewing this film and doing a little research, I had no idea of what Dahl was going through prior to writing the famous ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,’ the book that helped him become one of the best children’s book authors in literary history. In between the emotion, there are moments of hope when you see how they tried to get through their lives during this difficult time. So, during the ongoing Summer Film Festival, make sure to give this little gem a watch. The subplot of seeing a couple grieving over the loss of their child can be tough to watch at times. But this little film is definitely worth a look!

The cast: Hugh Bonneville as Roald Dahl; Keeley Hawes as Patricia Neal; Bobby O’Neill as Gus Perkins; Michael Jibson as Pete Perkins; Brett Fancy as Reverend Roberts; Geoffrey Palmer as Geoffrey Fisher; Conleth Hill as Marty Ritt; Sam Heughan as Paul Newman and Darcy Ewart as Olivia.

‘To Olivia’ is written by David Logan and co-written and directed by John Hay.

The film is not rated and has a running time of 99 minutes.

The remaining show dates and times for ‘To Olivia’ are as follows: Monday, July 25, at 4:30 p.m.; Thursday, July 28, at 7 p.m.; and Thursday, Aug. 4, at noon.