Bleak and harrowing, it portrays the cost in lives and mental strain of escape from war-torn Syria, underlining the dangers and desperation associated with small-boat crossings.

With six million refugees to choose from, this adaptation (by Nesrin Alrefaai and Matthew Spangler) of Christy Lefteri’s novel highlights the torment of Nuri (Adam Sina) and wife Afra (Farah Saffari); representing many couples Christy encountered when she sketched out her book while working in a Greek refugee camp.

Nuri and his pal Mustafa (Joseph Long) once tended hives and ran a honey stall together, and dream of doing the same once they’ve finally reached England. “Where there are bees, there’s hope,” is a recurring script phrase.

But while no one can fail to be moved by the plight of refugees, director Anthony Almeida’s staging of the couple’s journey is ponderous. The set is static and unchanging, relying on projections to add flickering movement.