Radiator review – pathos and heartache in a dysfunctional family drama

Richard Johnson is mesmerising in his final lead role as the cantankerously debilitated father whose loving but long-suffering wife (Gemma Jones, exceptional) and estranged son (co-writer Daniel Cerqueira) struggle to care for him. Shot in the Cumbrian home of his late parents, co-writer Tom Browne’s directorial feature debut has an unmistakable air of authenticity that brings real pathos and heartache to some of the film’s bleakest moments. But there is a palpable warmth, too, in the dysfunctional family dynamics, while moments of unexpected laughter dispel the darker clouds of the past.