★★★

A commanding performance from veteran actor James Faulkner keeps the contemplative drama All Those Small Things afloat. Andrew Hyatt’s latest film finds the writer/director reteaming with Faulkner, following their work on Paul, Apostle of Christ in 2018.

Faulkner portrays Jonathan Robbins, a world-famous British game show host who, having just turned 70, finds himself struggling to find inspiration or meaning in anything he is doing. The long-standing host of “In It to Win It" has brought Jonathan more fame and money than he could ever need. Yet it cannot cure a depression that is rapidly taking hold.

Following the death of an old friend, and being so wrapped up in things to miss the funeral, Jonathan is compelled to break out of his suffocating existence. On a whim he decides to visit “his biggest fan,” sending him on a trip to the Eastern part of Washington state.

Much of the film’s first 30 minutes deals with a repetitive “fish-out-of-water” theme, as Robbins is often mistaken for a cast member of “Downto(w)n Abbey,” because of his rich and declarative British accent. Those scenes wear thin the more and more they come, but the film gains strength when he meets Dennis, a/k/a Tiny Hammer (Aaron Dalla Villa).

Though he feels muted and held back as a character, Dalla Villa presents a nice contrast to the stoic and guarded Jonathan. The diminutive white hip-hop artist leads a collective who mix all kinds of styles together and love throwing house parties. Robbins finds Dennis’ home available for rent, unaware that Dennis, his new Russian flame Svetlana (Lacy Hartselle), and his band will also be hanging out for the duration of Jonathan’s stay.

All Those Small Things has a good heart, if the film suffers here and there on making themes and ideas stick. The best moments come all too infrequent between Jonathan and Ruby (Kerry Knuppe), a local bartender with a connection to the letter which brought Jonathan to Washington state.

In the end, Faulkner holds court just fine. He’s a presence and his increased affability is nice to watch unfold during the film’s 107-minute running time. Hyatt’s vision as a director is equally solid, if he just did not rely on familiar themes and tropes to give us a story of what can often be a rewarding search for meaning in our individual lives.

All Those Small Things was screened virtually at the 47th Seattle International Film Festival. The film received its World Premiere at the festival.