Movie: The Lady in the Van (8/10)

I’m so glad I caught this as it’s been out a while. As the trailer implies, the film portrays the chunk of Alan Bennett’s life when a lady living in a van parked on his drive for a few months and ended up staying for 15 years, from mid 1970s to the late 80s.From the story written by Allan Bennet, who has a little cameo although it must be the oddest thing to watch someone play you. We see at the start that Miss Shepherd (Maggie Smith), the lady in question is part of a hit and run car accident and that’s why she turns up in an old van in London.What follows though is the equal amount of disdain, politeness and curiosity from her this Camden street’s neighbours.

‘The Virgin Mary. I spoke to her yesterday. She was outside the post office.’

Every time anyone questioned her - ‘you can’t park there’ – Miss Shepherd professes to having guidance and it’s fine. The crackpot/religious response means people tend to leave her alone to get on with it.Gradually her long, colourful life starts to unfold through various characters coming forward with morsels of information and Bennett’s story begins to come together.It’s a great idea was to have two Alan Bennett's portrayed; one the writer and the other the more gregarious, outgoing man.The film moves at a quiet pace – too quiet to open my cinema dolly mixtures but I didn’t notice the 104 minutes whizz by.8/10Smile factor 9/10