It's a sad but true fact that the British can be very dry indeed. This is most often apparent in their movies and it's exemplified perfectly in the new film The Last September. Now, technically, we're not talking about the British here. Rather, it's the Anglo-Irish, the moneyed heirs of English immigrants to Ireland who sound English but consider themselves Irish. This complex dichotomy sets the scene for a film that never quite comes into focus.

The time: 1920. The place: County Cork, Ireland, at the beginning of the Irish war for independence. The glorious Irish landscape is caught between the guerilla tactics of "native Irishmen and the studied gentility of the Anglo-Irish aristocracy, who are defended by British soldiers. All these facts are garnered in bits and pieces throughout the movie and the vague historical perspective here is only one of many problems in this turgid film.

In point of fact, the history lesson plays second fiddle to the rather soap opera-esque antics of the characters. The real story rests in the heart of truly wide-eyed innocent Lois (Keeley Hawes), the parentless niece of Sir Richard (Michael Gambon) and Lady Myra (Maggie Smith). As always, Gambon and Smith capture "curmudgeon-ism" in all its glory with their stodgy accents and mannerisms that contrast with Lois' contagious and uncontrolled energy. It's this wild spirit that attracts upstanding British soldier Gerald Colthurst (David Tennant) to her, even as it confuses him. likewise, Lois rejects Gerald's propriety, seduced instead by the danger offered by Irish insurgent Peter Connolly (Gary Lydon).

The dichotomy between Gerald and Lois, as well as the complications with Peter, encompass the major theme of the film. Even though the Anglo-Irish are British in demeanor and accent, their hearts are Irish. They are tied to Ireland and its people. They feel at home with them. Yet, with the struggle for independence, they are rejected by the people they once embraced. Thus, they are a "tribe" without a country, true lost souls who have no idea what to do when their gentrified world is threatened.

While thematically rich, The Last September never quite manages to crystallize the ideas it hints at. As written by John Banville, the script is a plodding affair with too many silences and not enough important ideas. Even the romantic perspective is clouded, with Lois' seduction by Peter as a lurid and confusing affair. Instead of presenting itself as a coming-of-age story, which it essentially is, the film gets mired in stagy tennis parties and fancy dress balls; certainly, lovely set pieces, but curiously lacking in narrative resonance.

None of this is helped by director Deborah Warner, whose style is distinctly amateurish. She makes a few interesting choices, such as the ever present sound of flies buzzing to suggest the slow decay of the era. Unfortunately, she balances insightful choices like this with wasted imagery of bees buzzing in flowers and rain dropping on leaves, instead of spending time getting into her characters' heads. We know more about the landscape of Ireland than the people who inhabit it.

The Last September is one of those British dramas that feel like the filler between more elegant and lively cinematic escapades like Emma and, well, just about anything with the Merchant-Ivory moniker. Neither Warner nor Banville, despite their distinct intentions, manage to get across the tragedy that the Anglo-Irish way of life is coming to an end. Without this deep sense of loss, this film is almost unbearably hollow.