[3] The plot explores the relationships shared by the residents of a seedy boarding house owned by dour Mrs. Brent.

Among them are busker Wanda Fleming, who is flattered by the attention paid her by rebellious pop songwriter wannabe Mickey Hollister, and former schoolmaster James Wallraven, who has been accused of pedophilia and reduced to working as a janitor in an art gallery.

In his review in Film Threat, Phil Hall describes the film as "a compelling and often heartbreaking drama" and adds "Redgrave, who was never the most subtle screen actor...manages to reign in his hammy tendencies and find the angst and isolation in the disgraced teacher's existence."

In her silence and her ocular expression, Davis achieves a state of grace which is astonishing to behold.

"[citation needed] Time Out London wrote "Riddled with act and scene pauses...it's a fairly classic condensation of several fetishistic concerns endemic to British cinema.