Period biopic based around the life of struggling writer James Joyce (Ewan McGregor) and his lover, then wife, Nora Barnacle (Susan Lynch) whom he met in Dublin in 1904. Their initial attraction turns sexual and the couple leave Ireland to settle in Northern Italy when Joyce feels stifled by his surroundings. However, their relationship becomes increasingly tempestuous after James turns to drink as he struggles to find a publisher for his short story collection 'Dubliners'. McGregor's impression of Joyce is impressive, but Lynch's Nora is rather crudely drawn and the whole film is ultimately disappointing.