They say write what you know and so for his screen debut as both writer and director, Richard E Grant goes back to Swaziland, the tiny south African state where he grew up, and gives us a bittersweet portrait of what it was like there in the late 60s fag-end of empire.

There's not much warmth in this snobby expat community, but plenty of it in the film, largely seen from a child's point of view and boasting an all-star British cast.

Gabriel Byrne, as the father of Grant's surrogate character, reminds you how great he can be with a finely modulated portrayal of a kindly dad who turns dangerous when drunk. Emily Watson is on top form playing against type as the American air hostess he turns to, and provides the film with a useful outsider's perspective.

The rampant booze and infidelity inevitably recalls the Kenya-set White Mischief, from the days when the British were far more sure of themselves. The Africans don't get much of a part, but that reflects the insularity of this snapshot from a vanished world.

Miranda Richardson, Julie Walters and Celia Imrie all play familiar roles, but the change of scenery gives it considerable freshness. The film also, incidentally, explains why the teetotal Grant made such a convincing Withnail.