Irish director Gaby Dellal's first feature, "On a Clear Day," is the kind of drama that British television used to do so well, a well-constructed, smartly observed story of ordinary people learning how to communicate with one another. With a Scottish setting and a cast led by veteran experts Peter Mullan and Brenda Blethyn and featuring ex-Hobbit Billy Boyd, the story of a laid-off 55-year-old who attempts to swim the English Channel should find an appreciative audience in sports fans and baby boomers. Made redundant when building at his shipyard dwindles, Frank discovers that a lifetime of hard work has left him unable to communicate with his devoted wife, Joan (Blethyn), and especially his son Robert (Jamie Sives).

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