We’re back to Wales, North Wales, the island of Anglesey to be precise, but now we’re in the late 19^th century at a time when ‘Oscar Wilde rots in Reading gaol’.

‘Madfabulous’ from director Celyn Jones (who incidentally played the truculent brother in the newly released ‘On the Sea’) and writer Lisa Baker (in her screenwriting debut) is based on the life of Henry Paget, the 5^th Marquess of Anglesey.

Born in France, raised in Paris, and educated at Eton, the movie begins with Henry sailing up to Anglesey Castle in flamboyant style, clutching a cigarette case bearing the image of his dead mother. Greeted by his father’s faithful butler, Gelert, his aunt and two cousins, this free spirit finds himself in a glorious setting that’s stuck in dull tradition. It isn’t long before Henry begins smashing social norms to make life more interesting, if chaotic, for himself and those around him.

However, Henry is a troubled soul.

It becomes clear early on that he’s seriously ill, he has a father barely able to acknowledge his existence, let alone meet him, and a mother lost to him in childhood, whom he sees in dreamlike flashbacks. Even finding a kindred spirit in his cousin Lily isn’t enough, but then along comes a troupe of actors. led by the handsome and suspiciously charming Nick Durant, that can scratch his theatrical itch. Within this group, Henry finds his people, a queer group unable and unwilling to fit in with what society expects of them. Henry is literally centre stage and able to fully express himself, but it comes at a cost.

Essentially, this is the story of a sweet and generous (to a fault) man who sometimes gets too lost inside his own head to appreciate the needs of those closest to him. The movie makes a few dramatic changes, but from what I can tell, it remains largely faithful to what we know of Henry’s life, not least the accuracy of his flamboyant costumes.

Filmed entirely on location in North Wales, the gorgeous setting is a character in itself, with the grandeur adding the required gravitas that contrasts with our hero’s beautiful eccentricities and personality.

This may well be a career-defining moment for Callum Scott Howells as Henry Paget. He imbues the role with the vulnerability and a ferocious flamboyance that the buttoned-down Colin, whom we all wanted to save, in ‘It’s a Sin’ couldn’t afford him.

Rupert Everett as butler Gelert is professional, stoic, yet a fierce advocate for and movingly loving towards Henry. It feels as if he quietly acknowledges them, sharing that unspoken aspect of themselves.  Henry would have been the perfect role for Rupert forty years ago and indeed, the passing of time is reflected upon when Gelert heartbreakingly tells Henry, ‘I can’t, I’m too old.’

Paul Rhys (Victoria, Saltburn), is our villain Lord Penrhyn, a wonderful, almost pantomime villain we half expect to see twizzling his moustache; Ruby Stokes (Bridgerton) is the endlessly supportive but increasing exasperated Lily, Paget’s first cousin and wife; Siobhan McSweeney (Derry Girls, The Great Pottery Throw Down) is Henry’s mother Blanche, providing a constant and guiding light.

It was also lovely to see many Welsh actors in a movie set in Wales as that’s never a given, and another wonderful touch was the inclusion of actress Clara Paget (‘Black Sails’ as the queer-coded pirate Anne Bonny), the daughter of the real-life 8^th Marquess of Anglesey. Clara’s is a small part, but when her character Mabel says, ‘That’s my money’, she really means it.

If there was an overall theme to this lovely, sweet, and touching tale, it’s,  ‘Be yourself, everyone else is taken’.