Dreams and reality converge in this debut feature from writer-director Emily Young about a fraying, long-distance relationship.

John (Peter Mullan) becomes stranded while on a humanitarian trip in Bosnia. He is torn by his sense of responsibility toward the victims of this war-torn area and feelings for his beautiful, long-suffering wife Helen (Ingeborka Dapkunaite) and two young children who we see nervously awaiting his return in London.

Sensing the desperation in Helen's voice at the end of the phone-line and pining to be with her again, he decides to make a hazardous trip back to London without waiting for the rest of his organisation to move. "I want to stay, but I need to go," he tells one of his colleagues.

But events take a tragic turn when Helen, in a distracted state, is run over when she steps in front of a car.

Helen's condition is portrayed ambiguously, she could be in a coma or dead, as Young directs the drama into the realm of the psychological and/or spiritual. Oblivious to the tragedy, John continues his odyssey through potentially hostile territory by car, cart and coach.

The film is slow-paced and atmospheric, depicting as much the internal drama and experiences of this close-knit, but geographically distanced couple. It's an ambitious proposition that Young has set herself and one that creates its own problems. She ends up relying heavily on awkward flashbacks and feverish dream sequences to tell of happier times and the tension that John's absence creates in their relationship. The constant slipping back and forth between different states of being sounds more interesting than it is to watch. You can have too much of the same device sometimes.

To her credit, Young elicits memorable performances from her cast. Mullan, who initially seems an unlikely romantic partner for Dapkunaite, is particularly strong, although it is a pity his role doesn't demand more of him. His interactions with jumpy locals or intimidating militia in Bosnia are effective dramatically, but then he is often depicted riding in stoic silence. Meanwhile, scenes showing the family at home in a drab London have a quotidian quality about them, which may explain why despite the film's ethereal qualities it can feel pedestrian.