The Hippopotamus

The Hippopotamus follows Ted Wallace, a poet whose career and personal life have fallen apart. After his behaviour costs him his job as a theatre critic, old friends Michael and Anne Logan invite him to their country estate, Swafford Hall, and ask him to look into a series of healings that have taken place nearby. Ted, a heavy drinker with a sceptical outlook, agrees to investigate. At the centre of the strange events is the Logans' young son, and what Ted uncovers has consequences he did not expect.

The film is a British comedy directed by John Jencks, from a screenplay by Blanche McIntyre and Tom Hodgson. Roger Allam leads the cast as Ted Wallace, with Matthew Modine and Fiona Shaw as Michael and Anne Logan. Tim McInnerny, Emily Berrington and Geraldine Somerville also appear among the forty credited cast members. It runs 86 minutes.

Released in March 2017, the film met with a modest response: on TMDB it holds a rating of 6.4 out of 10 from 119 votes, a small sample that suggests a limited audience rather than a widely seen release. The numbers point to a low-profile British production rather than a major commercial title.