It's late 19th century, Cornwall, England. Amy Foster (Rachel Weisz) has a son and works for bedridden Miss Swaffer (Kathy Bates). Amy was a result of a scandalous birth and sent to work for the Smiths at 12. Her father Isaac Foster was denied his family inheritance. Her parents have always been cold to her. Some years earlier, Yanko Góral (Vincent Perez) from the Carpathian Mountains is on his way to America, the land of true gold. His ship sinks on a stormy night. Bodies wash ashore and he's the sole survivor. He stumbles onto the Smith's farm. Amy shows kindness to the foreigner who speaks no English. He's working for Mr. Swaffer (Joss Ackland) when Dr. Kennedy (Ian McKellen) finally makes the connection. Kennedy teaches him English while he teaches Kennedy chess. He starts a romance with Amy. The small town is suspicious of the newcomer. Amy's mother has a dark secret about Amy's conception.

This is an old time romance. There are stormy nights and wind swept cliffs. The locals are small-minded. Rachel Weisz shows her quiet sadness acting skills. There is plenty of death and tragedy. The start is too slow. It doesn't need to do the flashforward. It doesn't need to show Yanko's homeland. All it really needs to start are the bodies washing ashore. The style could also be more epic. The stark landscape could have given more atmosphere to the tone. It's an old time romance done in a relatively old time way.

My only complaints being the occasionally sluggish pacing and the variable sound ranging from too loud to too quiet, this is a beautiful, tragic and haunting film based on an even more beautiful, tragic and haunting story. The direction is very romantic but I never actually found it overblown or melodramatic, and the story does convey a range of emotions especially in the second half. In terms of effective scenes, the opening scene did set the atmosphere really well, and the rock pool love scene I actually didn't have any problem with, clichéd perhaps but random no not really. The scenery, sets, costumes and cinematography are meticulous, the score is stunning, the screenplay is honest and the acting from Rachel Weisz, Vincent Perez, Kathy Bates, Ian McKellen and Joss Ackland is spot on. Overall, Swept from the Sea:The Story of Amy Foster is a beautiful, tragic and haunting story, that is worth seeing. 8/10 Bethany Cox

I can see why people would like this movie and that's if you like this genre of stories but in my case it's not really the kind of movie I normally enjoy watching. For that the story is just a bit too boring and slow. It's okay for awhile but I can't say I was entertained or captivated by the story for the entire duration of the movie. The acting isn't bad though, neither was the cinematography, it's just the lack of action and/or pace that I find boring after awhile. It's the high ratings and positive reviews that made me watch Swept From The Sea but I should have known better. It's just not my kind of entertainment.