“Ladies in Lavender,” at first blush, appears to be some sort of British highbrow fairy tale about a gifted foreigner who washes ashore and turns on the heart lights of two lonely spinsters (Judi Dench and Maggie Smith) before the authorities drag him away.

What a profound relief that “Ladies in Lavender” — the writing and directing debut of actor Charles Dance (“Swimming Pool”) — takes subtle evasive action to avoid becoming that movie. Instead of an adoption fantasy, Dance offers a meaningful, ineffably sad drama about asking more out of life than life is willing to give.

To be sure, Ursula Widdington (Dench) is smitten with Andrea Marowski (German actor Daniel Bruhl) from the moment the young Pole appears, half-drowned, near the Cornish seaside cottage she shares with her sister, Janet (Smith). Though Andrea speaks little English, he does play a beautiful violin — a bonus delight for the once-bored sisters as they nurse his broken body back to health.

With World War II looming to the east, Andrea presents something of a puzzle to the villagers, particularly when he strikes up a friendship with Olga (Natascha McElhone of “The Truman Show”), a stunning German painter summering nearby. Jealous of Andrea's youth and looks, a local doctor (David Warner) drops hints to the authorities that the young musician may be a saboteur.

Ursula, too, becomes jealous. But what we initially suspect to be the ache of surrogate motherhood reveals itself as something else — something creepier and more pathetic. It's a subtle arc, but Dench — exquisite talent that she is — traces it flawlessly. The same can be said for Smith (“Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”), who — as the older, perhaps wiser sibling — glows with gentle, sisterly concern.

Dance, who adapted the script from a story by British novelist William J. Locke, is careful never to abuse the privileges of drama. He's not interested in raising our heart rates, but in showing us what it's like to be elderly, regretful and unfairly rooted out of complacency. “Ladies in Lavender” is surprising in its simplicity, and all the more profound.