this film be just beg for the tag charmingly eccentric 30 romantic drama and complete a it be with empire line dress and stun countryside location and a whimsical and bicker family . however it the performance of the divine romola garai and a the middle child cassandra and that really make this film work . bereft of makeup and hair shorn to an unflattering bob and constantly scribble in her diary and she be the embodiment of the intellectual teen while her capacity for articulate cascade emotion see her form a passionate bond with the write word . but her ongoing contemplation of her madcap family be bear of concern rather than self obsession . in the absence of their mother and cassandara have begin to shoulder some of the responsibility for her brother and precocious and emotionally catatonic father . her burden be increase rather than lessen with the arrival of a pair of rich american and and the romance that ensue . the way garai indicate charlotte confuse emotion tear between different impulse that propel her towards be a daughter and a sister and a lover be remarkable . while garai occupy the center of the film and some of the other player shine in their role and especially the always entertaining ( and perpetually unclothed and yes and she naked again here . ) tara fitzgerald and the lovely rise byrne a cassandra elder sister rise . the men fare less well . bill nighy be miscast a the reclusive writer father and and henry cavill a casandara would be beau stephen be leaden . the other failing of the film which be really more of a backhanded compliment be that i find myself want to know more about the family and see more of their infighting . the plot errs towards the romantic rather than the comic ( ok and fair enough and that what it set out to do ) but i find the end result a little disappointing . i haven not read dodie smith novel so do not know whether the slightly mute tone be due to allegience to the original story . overall though and i capture the castle be sweetly and undemandingly entertaining and and romola garai vulnerability be intoxicate .