When tragedy compels Tom and Mary Harper to leave their home in Land’s End on England’s southwestern coast, they run as far away as they can, settling in John O’Groats, Scotland. There the couple live in marital harmony, tenderly caring for one another. Decades later, Mary’s sudden death sends Tom on a pilgrimage to put to rest the ghosts of the past.

Tom chooses to make his 800 mile trip by bus, a sensible choice for a pensioner with a bus pass entitling him to free transit. On his journey, he meets the best and worst of his fellow man, encountering bullies and bigots and being given hospitality by kind and generous souls. And throughout the film, his moments of common decency are captured on people’s phones, making him an unwitting star of social media.

The Last Bus is an unusual film. There’s no action, no adventure, and no villain. It’s a leisurely tale of an old man on a quest, whose greatest challenges are gradually revealed over the course of the story’s runtime. It’s that most old-fashioned of films, a character study, and as such the weight of the entire film is borne by Timothy Spall. Fortunately, he’s got the ability to infuse the film with his emotions, thereby giving it real heart. There’s a lot of emotion in this movie; certainly enough to have audience members weeping at the more heartbreaking moments. If you don’t like weepy films, this is one you should avoid. But if you like movies that celebrate persistence, faithfulness, love, kindness, neighborliness, and goodness, there’s a lot here for you. This film is for movie fans who enjoy character studies and who are willing to sit quietly and watch the story unfold before them.