The honey-loving Winnie-the-Pooh romping through the forest with his group of merry friends still conjure up happy memories of our childhood, lost as many of us were in the little teddy bear’s numerous adventures.

But the biographical film Goodbye Christopher Robin, directed by Simon Curtis, shows us the pain behind the playful antics, the tears behind the laughter and the disillusionment of a young boy deprived of the love of his father and exploited by his parents in the name of fame.

Returning from World War 1 broken in spirit, author A A Milne (Domhnall Gleeson) is clearly suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, although it was not known as PTSD then.

Tormented daily by images of exploding bombs, death and suffering, and disheartened by the futility of war, Milne struggles to make the transition back to civilian life, and loses the inspiration to write again, to make people laugh with his comedies as he once did.

His wife, the ever ambitious Daphne (Margot Robbie), eventually loses patience with her husband, and issuing an ultimatum, makes off to London and vows never to return to their quiet country home again until he puts pen to paper.

Their only child, Christopher Robin (Will Tilston) who the couple nickname Billy Moon, is thus left in the care of his nanny Olive (Kelly Macdonald) and a cold, withdrawn father, who has not bonded with his son since birth nor shows no signs of wanting to.

Things come to a head however when Olive has to leave the pair to attend to her ailing mother. A hysterical Billy begs her to stay but to no avail and Milne is left with no choice but to care for his son on his own.

The two start taking long walks into the forest together, with Billy’s favourite teddy bear tagging along, firm in the clutches of his tiny hand. It is the start of a father-son bond, however fragile at that point, as the two get to know one another.

Witnessing his son’s fascination with his stuffed toys, Milne begins plotting the beginnings of the Winnie-the-Pooh character we know, together with Piglet, Tigger, Eyeore and Kanga. The character of Christopher, the author’s real son, is also written into the story.

The literary venture is a stroke of genius and Milne’s optimistic and endearing tale of Winnie-the-Pooh and his antics become an astounding success. Daphne sails back into the home, thrilled at the prospect of the fame and fortune her husband’s stories are sure to bring.

Everybody is a winner, except Billy, who finds himself alone again with his stuffed toys as company while his parents make the rounds promoting Winnie-the-Pooh books in New York and elsewhere.

As the public’s fascination with him grows, Billy too is thrust into the public eye and the daily grind of press interviews, greet-the-fans sessions, photo shoots and on one occasion, a public event to celebrate his birthday.

The irony is stinging. While Winnie-the-Pooh lights up the lives of countless children across the world, even war-weary adults, little Billy, so central to the fictional world of Winnie-the-Pooh, is in reality still a lonely boy pining for the love of his parents.

Disillusioned, Billy grows up a bitter young man and eventually leaves the family home to escape the sadness of his lost childhood.

The movie suggests the only person Billy loved wholeheartedly and who loved him back with all her heart, was his nanny Olive.

Gleeson plays the part of a post-war soldier with believability, conveying the trauma that continues to live inside his head, long after peace has been declared. He also struggles to express his love for his young rambunctious son, walking stiffly with the boy by his side, and looking out of sorts when faced by the dilemma of fixing them dinner by himself.

Tilston meanwhile as the young Billy, is truly adorable. Looking very much like a mini Ed Sheeran, with a mop of thick locks framing his to-die-for dimples, this boy’s unbridled love for his father and innocence of life is heart wrenching at times.

Robbie is convincing as the glamorous but self-centred Daphne, ready to relinquish her role as mother to Billy, after having endured a torturous childbirth, in which she proclaims she nearly died.

Macdonald is mature, warm and kind, stepping in as the mother figure to Billy, whom she grows to love like her own son.

The movie is thought-provoking and poses the question about whether the emotional price of fame and fortune is worth the devastating effect it tends to have on family life and personal relationships.

With a rating of 13, Goodbye Christopher Robin is brought by 20th Century Fox and will open exclusively at GSC cinemas on April 19.