On Chesil Beach (B- or 2.5/4 stars)
'On Chesil Beach' is a romantic drama based on a novel by Ian McEwan (author of Atonement ... one of my favorite tragic romantic dramas) and it is directed by Dominic Cooke. It is 1962 in merry 'ole England {not so merry in this plot}, and newlyweds Florence (Saoirse Ronan, who was also in Atonement) & Edward (Billy Howle) are in their small, seaside honeymoon hotel which overlooks the gravel-covered Chesil Beach. The film flashes back & forth to their various times together: their 1st meeting, memorable conversations, & meaningful interactions with each other's families {Florence comes from a posh family, led by an imperious mother played by Emily Watson and a stern, enigmatic father played by Samuel West; Edwards comes from a humbler background in the countryside, where he, his father & his young twin sisters tend to his brain-damaged mother, played by Anne-Marie Duff}.
Florence & Edward are very much in love, but there's an unsettling, unspoken tension in the room concerning the consummation of their marriage. Florence has rejected all of Edward's pre-marriage advances, and they're both very nervous & inexperienced. Their 1st attempt at sex {in the hotel room} goes badly, and Florence runs out the door to the beach in terror, panic ... and disgust. But why the disgust? We get glimpses of why she might be disgusted ... but she doesn't even fully understand her feelings so as to express to Edward WHY she panics. Edward follows her out to the beach. They argue. Florence makes a certain proposal to Edward. And Edward makes a certain choice. But will regrets factor-in to this beachside chat?
This polished, stately, classy romantic drama takes a while to get going and can be confusing in spots {due to the narrative jumping back & forth}, but overall, it's a decent film with good performances and, it tackles interesting topics like 'fear of sex', 'childhood trauma', & when 'love isn't enough'. Other ideas intrigued me, as well, such as: if one doesn't know much about sex, how is a young couple supposed to know how to use their bodies. And. If an initial sexual encounter goes awry, the pressure to make things {like sex or a marriage} PERFECT can be overwhelming. I imagine that, like McEwan's Atonement, this book is quite difficult to adapt from page to screen -- I could feel that while watching it. You know, I just can't unload heaps of praise on this film; even if I can't say it is poor in any way.
Saoirse Ronan is lovely & heartbreaking. Newcomer Billy Howle is appealing and, I can see a future with him in cinema. Everyone else plays their parts well. There are no egregious aspects of this film. Probably the closest aspect that you can say has a whiff of egregiousness would be some old age make-up on several of the characters when the timeline jumps from 1962 to 1975 and then to 2007 during 2 lengthy epilogues. But the final minutes of the film are emotionally-resonant enough that it overrides any awkwardness we see when looking at the jarring old age make-up. On the whole, I really enjoy little British period dramas such as this. I'm glad I saw it. It's worth a look & worth discussing. But it's also nothing to go wild about.
Florence & Edward are very much in love, but there's an unsettling, unspoken tension in the room concerning the consummation of their marriage. Florence has rejected all of Edward's pre-marriage advances, and they're both very nervous & inexperienced. Their 1st attempt at sex {in the hotel room} goes badly, and Florence runs out the door to the beach in terror, panic ... and disgust. But why the disgust? We get glimpses of why she might be disgusted ... but she doesn't even fully understand her feelings so as to express to Edward WHY she panics. Edward follows her out to the beach. They argue. Florence makes a certain proposal to Edward. And Edward makes a certain choice. But will regrets factor-in to this beachside chat?
This polished, stately, classy romantic drama takes a while to get going and can be confusing in spots {due to the narrative jumping back & forth}, but overall, it's a decent film with good performances and, it tackles interesting topics like 'fear of sex', 'childhood trauma', & when 'love isn't enough'. Other ideas intrigued me, as well, such as: if one doesn't know much about sex, how is a young couple supposed to know how to use their bodies. And. If an initial sexual encounter goes awry, the pressure to make things {like sex or a marriage} PERFECT can be overwhelming. I imagine that, like McEwan's Atonement, this book is quite difficult to adapt from page to screen -- I could feel that while watching it. You know, I just can't unload heaps of praise on this film; even if I can't say it is poor in any way.
Saoirse Ronan is lovely & heartbreaking. Newcomer Billy Howle is appealing and, I can see a future with him in cinema. Everyone else plays their parts well. There are no egregious aspects of this film. Probably the closest aspect that you can say has a whiff of egregiousness would be some old age make-up on several of the characters when the timeline jumps from 1962 to 1975 and then to 2007 during 2 lengthy epilogues. But the final minutes of the film are emotionally-resonant enough that it overrides any awkwardness we see when looking at the jarring old age make-up. On the whole, I really enjoy little British period dramas such as this. I'm glad I saw it. It's worth a look & worth discussing. But it's also nothing to go wild about.