A truly excellent film and definitely Ocsar worthy material for both the film and the actors. The entire cast are amazing.

As Cumberbatch says near the start of the film “are you paying attention”. You should pay attention, Alan Turing deserves your attention, his story deserves to be told.

The film switches between the drive of the team of code breakers to solve the Enigma code, young Alan Turing and the events after the war that destroyed his life. 

It is truly heartbreaking in places, and Benedict Cumberbatch’s performance as Alan Turing is outstanding. He really deserves an Oscar nomination for his performance.

I know some wanted a more in depth and in detail look at Alan Turing’s life and have commented frequently that this does no focus enough on his sexuality or the events after the war.

In this case I think less is more, this film highlights the man and the mind. It shows us the genius that was destroyed by a society that was seriously homophobic. It brings to life the man behind the facts and we laugh at his interactions with his fellow code breakers and cheer as he proves his theories and our hearts break as we watch him try to cope after his court case.

Paul (Daniel Auteuil) is a respected, successful surgeon married to the devoted Lucie (Kristin Scott-Thomas). They live in a beautiful house, want for nothing and seem perfectly happy but beneath the calm surface of their marriage lurks all kinds of niggling resentment and unspoken discontent. Daniel Auteuil has the meatier role and is good at conveying the grumpiness of advancing age.

He retains our sympathy as he meets a younger woman Lou (Leila Bekhti) who claims that he once operated on her. Initially, she seems like a stalker and the film could be straying towards Fatal Attraction territory but then it is Paul who becomes obsessed by her as he recklessly risks his perfect life. Before The Winter Chill often feels more of a melancholy character study than a thriller. When it delivers on that intrigue with a completely unexpected denouement, you realise it has been cleverly structured and perfectly executed.