Occasional melodramatic potholes in this World War II period romance are overcome by the charismatic energy of leading lady Anna Friel, who plays Cockney lass Lily, who’s wooed and wed by Canadian soldier Charlie (Aden Young) at the height of the Nazi bombing of London. Lily and baby move to rural Alberta to be with his mom (Brenda Fricker at her crustiest) and sis (Deadwood’s Molly Parker). The saga gets more interesting as Lily’s fate worsens—it seems mom doesn’t want a daughter-in-law, much less a raven-haired vixen in makeup and a red dress. The tale feels familiar, yet director Lyndon Chubbuck (who’s best known for helming episodes of Baywatch and Pacific Blue) keeps matters interesting and wisely avoids being cloying. The story is based on what might have happened to some of the 100,000 “war brides” who immigrated to North America during WWII, a factoid gathered from one of a pair of minute-long newsreels that serve as the disc’s featurettes.

Shelf Talk: Friel’s recognition factor has climbed significantly since finishing this 2001 production, thanks mostly to network exposure as Chuck on ABC’s acclaimed Pushing Daisies, and although Parker was Emmy-nominated for Deadwood and Fricker has an Oscar (for My Left Foot), it’s clearly Friel who brings the star power. While the afterthought newsreel bonus minutes are skimpy to say the least, the SRP is right. Besides sell sheets, Questar will support the title with market development funds for various retailers.