In the bittersweet comedy "Lawless Heart," he plays Dan, a dairy farmer in Essex whose brother-in-law, Stuart, has just died in a freak boating accident. Dan has a wife, Judy (Ellie Haddington), who, as they say, has let herself go, and a large family to feed -- not easy on a farmer's pay. At Stuart's funeral he meets Corinne (Clémentine Célarié), a vivacious Frenchwoman who's just settled in Essex and seems to offer the passion and vitality missing from his life. Not knowing he's married, she flirts with him and, inadvertently, nails his dilemma when she describes a man she knew as "not living his life, but watching it, like a comedy."

Another lonely soul at the funeral is Nick (Tom Hollander), Stuart's desolated lover. Since there is no will, Nick doesn't know if Judy wants him to have Stuart's restaurant, Stuart's dog or Stuart's money. Or none of the above. He's unexpectedly distracted by a goofy party girl, Charlie (Sukie Smith), who is neither his type nor his gender preference.

A last-minute arrival is Tim (Douglas Henshall), Stuart's best boyhood pal. Tim hasn't been home in eight years. He hasn't been anywhere really, having become a hippie-ish homeless person who can carry almost everything he owns on his back. A chance for love and stability appears in the person of Leah (Josephine Butler), a pretty shop clerk.

Three men. Three out-of-the-blue opportunities to change their lives. Yet each change requires not only courage, but a certain selfishness. Dan has a wife and family to betray. In the long run, Nick isn't the right person for Charlie (and vice versa), any more than Tim is for Leah.

Written and directed by Neil Hunter and Tom Hunsinger, "Lawless Heart" has some of the same feel as "The Hours," though on a much less glamorous scale. It offers a similar braided style, though it goes further in that these stories occasionally intersect so we see the same incident from different points of view. Another parallel -- these lonesome men also face a decision to choose life. The question here is, what sort of life?

"Remember what Stuart used to say?" Tim asks. "Go for it."

"Stuart drowned," he's reminded.

The film is beautifully acted. Nighy brings a slightly defeated air, a slightly distracted manner and a touch of the young Peter O'Toole to his role. He makes us believe Dan is someone who could actually say, "I once faked a broken heart, but I ran out of energy."

Hollander charts every moment of Nick's grief, from the heartache of picking up a wine opener he and Stuart bought together to the bewildered optimism he feels with Charlie. Henshall is apparently channeling Steve Zahn. Or at least Zahn's doper rhythms, which make Tim seem more happy-go-lucky than he really is.

Their good work illuminates the movie's gentle melancholy, poignant wisdom and sly humor. "Lawless Heart" shows us small revelations only an opened heart can grasp.

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