You can see what attracted Charlize Theron to this romantic melodrama about the traumas of life for a trio of friends and lovers, set between the eve of the Spanish Civil War and the D-Day invasions - it looks gorgeous, and Charlize gets to look particularly beautiful. But its glossy look is ultimately its undoing, as the whole thing is just too soapy to take seriously. In sweeping epic style, the story focusses on Gilda (Theron), a wild, free-spirited American living in Paris; Guy (Stuart Townsend), the intense young Irishman who falls for her; and Mia (Penelope Cruz), a Spanish dancer/nurse. The plot shows how their lives change when Guy and Mia join the fight against Fascism, but the central relationship between Gilda and Guy never rings true (despite the stars having a real-life relationship), and the film is passionless and plodding.

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