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The UK doesn't have a written constitution, which is a shame. If it did, article number one would undoubtedly enshrine the treasured status of Dame Maggie Smith, and affirm the importance of seeing anything she does – play, TV or film – as a matter of national pride.

The Downton Abbey and Harry Potter star is now 88 and still as sharp-tongued and sharp-witted as ever, and if she doesn't play a Brit in her latest film, The Miracle Club, that only shows that she's still up for a challenge. This time, she has gathered more Oscar winners and nominees around her for a heart- warming journey that does not go quite as expected.

Set in the west of Ireland in the 1960s, The Miracle Club takes place at a time when many working people would never leave the country where they were born, and where family and church were the twin pillars of the community. It's therefore a very big deal when lifelong friends Lily (Smith) and Eileen (Oscar winner Kathy Bates, Misery) learn about a planned pilgrimage to the French town of Lourdes.

The scenic little town of Lourdes, in the foothills of the Pyrenees, was and is an important site for Catholics, who believe that the waters of the town's basilica can have healing properties. Lily, Eileen and their young friend Dolly (Agnes O'Casey) enter a talent show to try to win two tickets for the trip but their plans are thrown into disarray by the return of Chrissie Ahern (Oscar nominee Laura Linney, You Can Count On Me) to the town.

Chrissie is the daughter of an old friend, but she left under a cloud 40 years ago and emigrated to America. Now she returns (in some fabulous '60s fashions) to tag along on the ladies' big trip. It's an unwelcome development for the older women, who are still put out by Chrissie's departure, but one that sets the scene for a story of reconciliation, forgiveness and healing that has little to do with any sacred waters.

Although centred around female friendships, the film includes Oscar nominee Stephen Rea (The Crying Game) as Eileen's husband – who is unsure how to care for himself without her around for even a short time – and an array of local Irish talent bringing 1960s Ballygar to the screen.

Director Thaddeus O'Sullivan has recently been keeping busy on TV hits like Silent Witness, but previously made films including December Bride and Nothing Personal, so he knows his way around the dynamics of a small Irish community and the complicated people who live in those towns. This tale promises secrets to be uncovered and stories still to be told.

Whether or not you've ever considered going on pilgrimage or if you know one end of a set of rosary beads from the other (it's ok, they're a loop), these are universal human emotions of love, fear and betrayal.

No wonder Dame Maggie signed up for a little bus trip. There's so much life here still to explore.   Helen O'Hara