Bharat Nalluri Directs Amy Adams and Frances McDormand in "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day"

With its complicated romantic entanglements, Bharat Nalluri, director of "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day," sees his film as a version of "Sex and the City" set in 1939. "It was really extraordinary what was happening in London at that time, such a heady, whirlwind of a time," Nalluri said via telephone from New York City. "I was kind of likening it to dancing on the Titanic; people didn't realize that World War II was arriving right around the corner and they were just partying."

"Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day": "Her honesty has been her trouble."

Played by Academy-Award winner Frances McDormand, Miss Guinevere Pettigrew has a habit of speaking her mind, even though that negatively affects her employment status. "At the beginning of the film, she's fired from being a nanny and it's probably because she's been too honest and too real and probably told this lady that she's really not bringing up her children very well," Nalluri said.

"At the heart of it, her honesty has been her trouble, her problem, and maybe she kind of hides it. Throughout the film, you suddenly realize she has this internal wisdom," he said.

Academy-Award Nominee Amy Adams Plays a Would-Be Actress in "Miss Pettigrew"

Hungry and homeless, Miss Pettigrew bluffs her way into the employ of Delysia Lafosse, a social butterfly and would-be actress played by Amy Adams. "She (Adams) has this amazing natural quality. Everyone falls in love with her. Really, I've never seen a happier crew in my life," Nalluri said. "She's a real girl-next-door and she's an incredibly skillful actor. I would jump at the chance to work with her again."

Delysia keeps three men on the hook, including a poor-but-honest piano player named Michael (Lee Pace from "Pushing Daisies"). "In a way, it feels very modern, the fact that there are all these relationships happening. In the end, it's an old-fashioned tale of following your heart and not your head, which I think personally cannot be said enough.

"Miss Pettigrew" is based on a Novel by Winifred Watson

Though the original novel by Winifred Watson was set in London of 1938, Nalluri decided to move the setting to 1939 on the day that World War II is about to break. "I thought that would give it kind of a dramatic impetus and a kind of visual background. It's not a war movie; it's not 'Atonement,' as you know. I didn't want it to encroach too much," Nalluri said.

Miss Pettigrew finds she has some things in common with Joe (Ciaran Hinds), a lingerie maker who likes to socialize. "The interesting thing is that Frances' character and Ciaran's character are of a generation that remembers the First World War. You've got these kids who think this is their world, it's very new and war is fun. We can all get through it by dancing and drinking and laughing."

Miss Pettigrew Can Never Escape the Clock on the Wall

The clock on the wall of Delysia's apartment is a constant reminder of the passage of time. "That was important to me because it was set across 24 hours. It's a whole season of 'Sex and the City' in 90 minutes. There's so much happening," Nalluri said.

"People often forget that it's only been 24 hours and that's the beauty of the original book. In the original book, the chapter titles were the clock times: '9:11 to 9:45,' '9:45 to 10:15.' It was all the way through the day like that," he said. "I think it was important to put the ticking clock in there. There's something beautifully old-fashioned about that; it was a very fairy tale element that you had 24 hours to sort out your life before you turn back into a pumpkin."

"Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day," rated PG-13 for some partial nudity and innuendo, opens in limited release on Friday, March 7.