After an eleven year hiatus from fiction film making Terence Davies, one of Britons most iconic auteurs, returns with characteristic aplomb with a superb adaptation of Terence Rattigan's The Deep Blue Sea. Supplementing the plays study of forbidden love and suppressed desire with Davies' renowned visual flair and subtle storytelling, and featuring a remarkable central performance from Rachel Weisz, The Deep Blue Sea is a deeply moving love story with a timeless appeal.

Hester Collyer (Academy Award winner Rachel Weisz) leads a privileged life in 1950s London as the beautiful wife of high court judge Sir William Collyer (Simon Russell Beale). To the shock of those around her, she walks out on her marriage to move in with young ex- RAF pilot, Freddie Page (Tom Hiddleston), with whom she has fallen passionately in love. Stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea, what - or whom - should Hester choose?

The Deep Blue Sea will be the closing night film of the 55th BFI London Film Festival. It also marks the high point in a year of celebrations for the centenary of Terence Rattigan's birth.