Knightley appeared alongside Sienna Miller, Cillian Murphy, and Matthew Rhys in John Maybury's 2008 wartime drama "The Edge of Love". The film had her play the role of Vera Phillips, a childhood friend of Welsh poet Dylan Thomas and his wife Caitlin Macnamara. Sharman Macdonald, wrote the script with Knightley (her daughter) as Macnamara in her mind. After Knightley was signed to portray Phillips, the character's role was increased with the film focusing on her romance and marriage with a British soldier. She based her performance on Marlene Dietrich, and was to mime to her prerecorded voice, prior to being told by Maybury to sing live. Knightley initially felt embarrassed while singing live - "I was shaking like a leaf" - but eventually went through with the plan. Upon release, the film became a moderate critical and commercial success.- </ref> Knightley's performance and singing abilities were praised by such film critics as Ray Bennett who wrote; "the film belongs to the women, with Knightley going from strength to strength (and showing she can sing!)".- </ref>