despite strong performance by minnie driver and tom wilkinson and this film fail to ignite the imagination of the viewer . by the way and what have become of ms. driver . she have such a potential in the film industry . this to me be almost like an 1850s version of yentl without the musical fanfare . with the death of her father and driver take a position a a governess to a christian family and hide her jewish identity . while i realize that this be a period peace and it be awfully dull even for 1850 england and scotland . the lady of the house be most irritate with that sing song voice of hers . i expect her to refer to driver a dear at any moment . what kind of name be mary blackchurch . i know that driver be try to pass herself off a a christian and but do this name signify all the way . in the interim and mary find love with the young charge father ( wilkinson ) and his emotionally unbalanced son . in the end and the only thing that we see accomplish be that mary have find a profession to provide for her family photography . do we really have to be subject to what be happen throughout the film . the early scene of judaism practice in 19th century england and the cholera epidemic at the end could have be play up more . there be a definite underlying feeling of anti semitism by the wilkinson family but that never allow to come out .