A romantic drama about love that blooms against all odds, Solomon and Gaenor is set in Wales in 1911. Solomon (
Ioan Gruffudd) is a door-to-door salesman who peddles fabric, and Gaenor (Nia Roberts) is the meek but unhappy daughter of a laboring family. The two meet while Solomon is making his rounds, and it's love at first sight, despite the fact he can barely speak Welsh, having been raised in an English-speaking village. Matters become more complicated when it's discovered Solomon is a Jew; Gaenor's father is not especially tolerant, and her brother is openly anti-Semitic, and when persecution of Jews becomes commonplace in the wake of a pit strike, the couple must flee for their own safely, as well as that of their unborn child. Solomon and Gaenor received positive notices for the skillful performances by
Ioan Gruffudd and Nia Roberts, as well as Nina Kellgren's photography and Ilona Sekacz's score. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide