TOMMY'S HONOUR ????

THIS year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival teed off with this emotional, inspiring and deeply heartfelt story about not only one of the world’s most loved sports and the special place it has in Scotland’s history, but the strained relationship between a father and son whose lives, for better or worse, revolved around it.

National treasure Peter Mullan stars as the stoic and loyal Tom Morris, widely regarded as the Grandfather of golf and the pioneer of the famous Open Championship in the 19th century.

As a reporter comes to him to learn of his story, we delve back into his past where we meet his son Tommy (Jack Lowden) who possesses the same sort of exceptional skill but has little interest in settling into Old Tom’s newfound peaceful life.

Most films that revolve around a sport, but golf in particular, get almost entirely caught up in the competition of it all, building towards some grand showdown between the central character and the competitive enemy. Not so with Tommy’s Honour.

Indeed it has the hallmarks of those kinds of films but there’s much more going on here than just a tale of golfing rivalry. At the heart of the film is the relationship between a father and his son and how that eternal familial bond is put to the test when they don’t see eye to eye on the future.

Old Tom, as he’s affectionately known, has set up a life as greenkeeper of the Royal and Ancient Club at St. Andrews; hand-painting golf balls, forging new clubs and teaching rich men how to play properly. But his son has grand plans of his own to become a young superstar of the sport – changing the established order in the process – instead of just following in his father’s footsteps of settling down.

It’s a tender film, full of small moments of wit and truthful humour. Director Jason Connery exhibits something of a Ken Loach feel in his direction, if not in an outward political stance then certainly in the way he gorgeously captures the late-19th century Scottish landscape as well as the general day-to-day life back then.

It hasn’t a mean bone in its body, with real warmth towards its characters, presenting them as real human beings, as indeed, they were based on. Mullan is perfect for the role of Old Tom, once again showing his gentler side seen in last year’s homeless drama Hector. While Lowden (most recently known for TV’s War & Peace) puts in a star-making turn as the conflicted Tommy.

You don’t have to be a golf fan to be taken in by this engrossing, quietly passionate film that not only brings something new to the sports biopic table but also serves as a poignant, often heartbreaking portrait of paternal love and pursuing your passion with everything you have.