a wonderful little movie that is really interested in its characters and in its theme .
the scene of " second best " is laid in wales .
james ( chris cleary miles ) is a 10-year - old boy who must live in a home because his father ( keith allen ) is in prison and his mother committed suicide .
james is a mentally unbalanced child .
he ca n't forget what happened in the past , and he dreams of living a happy life with his beloved father .
in the home he feels sadly and lonely .
one day , a social worker ( alan cumming ) tells him of a person who wants to adopt him .
this person is graham holt ( william hurt ) .
graham manages a post office and shop in a village .
he is a single and has n't any real friends .
his mother is dead , and his father is ill and will die .
graham feels that he has been a disappointment to his parents .
there has never been real love between his parents and him .
graham 's monotonous life would get a new sense if he could adopt james .
but graham has not only to convince the institutions , but must also win the love of james .
james and graham have to open theirselves .
they must get to know each other and learn to understand and trust the other person .
james and graham aid each other to cope with their problems .
but will their relationship really have a future ?
" second best " is based on a novel by david cook who also wrote the screenplay .
the film was directed by chris menges who had made his directing debut with the very good anti - apartheid drama " a world apart " ( 1987/88 ) .
and maybe , " second best " is even a greater picture .
this precise , richly detailed , sensitively and convincingly directed study about a special adoption treats its theme with great seriousness .
the breathtakingly intense film shows the necessity of human contact and communication .
william hurt delivers an outstanding performance as graham holt .
and chris cleary miles is remarkably convincing in the role of the boy .
the supporting cast is also fine ( especially jane horrocks as debbie , a social worker who is charged to examine graham 's living circumstances ) . " second best " is an underestimated masterpiece .
it 's a pity that films like this one are made so seldom
.
i eagerly await menges ' next directorial work , " the lost son " , which will star daniel auteuil .
films like this one are made so seldom a wonderful little movie that is really interested in its characters and in its theme treats its theme with great seriousness . the breathtakingly intense film an underestimated masterpiece remarkably convincing delivers an outstanding performance precise , richly detailed , sensitively and convincingly directed is even a greater picture