Director John Maybury's 1998 cinematic portrait of Francis Bacon (Love is The Devil) was distinguished by the director's searing visual technique, which not only emulated but expanded upon Bacon's own bold and distinctive style. He lends the same muscular approach to this compelling study of misplaced love that uses poet Dylan Thomas as a departure point.

During WW2, Thomas (Matthew Rhys) is reunited with his childhood sweetheart Vera Phillips (Keira Knightley), a frisson complicated by the errant poet's wife (Sienna Miller). Not to be thwarted by old-fashioned ideals, they take up quarters in an emotionally supportive arrangement; one that expands to four when Vera falls for, and then marries, soldier William (Cillian Murphy). Initially threatened, Dylan's alpha-male concerns abate when William is dispatched for war, leaving Thomas free to express himself artistically. "I sleep with other women because I'm a poet," he says. But will Vera fall for his wiles, and if so, to what end?

In truth, Maybury has populated his absorbing discourse on the changeable face of love with ugly characters, and Thomas' infantile selfishness is particularly grating. It's a major challenge that the director, for the most part, overcomes with robust casting and inspired production. Knightley, fresh from her standout turn in Atonement, is given another gutsy role, while Murphy effortlessly manages the transition from charming suitor to embattled spouse. It is Miller, however, who commands the screen with a compassionate and dignified performance that transcends a potentially thankless role. Foremost, The Edge of Love is Maybury's film, a story driven by a courageous eye, fractured imagery and truly breathtaking transitions. It's a stirring, often powerful film that grapples with winners and losers dwelling in the borders of emotion.