Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

It starts when a fisheries expert is drawn into an impossible project. Alfred is a fisheries scientist working for the government. One day an odd proposal reaches him: a wealthy sheikh living in Yemen wants a river in his own country where salmon can be fished. Alfred says it is scientifically absurd. But the project is politically useful; the government wants good news out of the Middle East, and the job is given to him. The film's texture comes from the collision of those three: the scientist's doubt, the sheikh's belief and the press adviser's calculation. In the side line is a relationship between Alfred and Harriet, who is running the project; both are stuck in their own lives. The source is Paul Torday's novel; Simon Beaufoy wrote the screenplay. Ewan McGregor plays Alfred, Emily Blunt plays Harriet and Kristin Scott Thomas the press adviser at Downing Street. Her character carries nearly all of the film's comedy on her own. A pleasant choice for anyone who likes quiet English comedy drama. For a viewer looking for realism, the film eases both the project and the relationship, and passes over most of the difficulties without solving them.