The Bookshop begins as a lighthearted and breezy film. A young widow named Florence Green moves to the small town of Hardborough, Suffolk in 1959 with a plan to start a bookstore.
The town is filled with eccentric and very-British characters who create small obstacles for Florence as she endeavors to establish her shop. It seems like Hardborough is a mostly harmless place, but could that be because we’re seeing it as outsiders—like Florence sees it when she first arrives?
Her understanding of Hardborough changes when she befriends Edmund Brundish, a wealthy recluse in the town. He keeps to himself but somehow knows everything that’s going on. There’s a plot against the bookshop, and he wants to help stop it.
That’s when we learn the truth about Hardborough, and we discover who the people of Hardborough really are.
Small places have their customs and pecking orders. While some of the citizens of Hardborough are heroes and others are villains, they’re locked into their roles like everyone else.
As an outsider, Florence Green is free to follow her heart and show others how they can follow their hearts, too.
Watch it on Kanopy.