For some reason, it seems like 'period' movies involving English estates take a long time to develop. It could just be the surroundings that the movie creates, but just an impression.
Once it got rolling, I really enjoyed the movie, the idea of how life takes completely unexpected twists and turns due to ridiculously small events (e.g. 'for wont of a nail...')
What's more, the question of how you can make up for past transgressions...or if you ever can kind of brought Yom Kippur to mind and the nature of offenses vs. Man as opposed to those vs. God.
The twist at the end was great as well.