On Chesil Beach
On Chesil Beach
R | 19 January 2018 (USA)
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In 1962 England, a young couple finds their idyllic romance colliding with issues of sexual freedom and societal pressure, leading to an awkward and fateful wedding night.

Reviews
Hottoceame

The Age of Commercialism

SnoReptilePlenty

Memorable, crazy movie

Rosie Searle

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

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Billy Ollie

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

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cohenmitch

Yes, this definitely contains spoilers so be warned.I was extremely upset at the conclusion of this movie. I was frustrated with how angry I felt with the ending, because the movie had a great cast and excellent performances. It even had Anton Lesser who plays Qyburn on Game of Thrones! Saoirse Ronan and Bill Howle were both outstanding. The problem was the ending. This was an extremely sad ending for Edward. My initial thought was 'Why did I just watch this movie?' I really didn't think this is where they wanted to lead us. I had a drop of hope at the very end when they switch from present day Edward back to his wedding day on the beach. I was thinking perhaps the last 15 minutes was just Edward thinking to himself, and it didn't really happen. Maybe he was imagining what his life would be like without Florence. Then he came to his senses and agreed to live under her terms. But no, what we watched for the last 15 minutes really happened. It was just an extremely sad ending for Edward. Meanwhile, Florence was able to make a new life for herself with a new husband and kids. There was no explanation how Florence was able to get over her sexual issues. Edward was forever cursed into a depressed life. It was so depressing!! Yes, he could have been much kinder with his words to Florence after her reaction to their first sexual encounter. He was a real idiot yelling at her at the beach. It would have made more sense to me to just get some help in the sex department. Florence would have probably been up to the idea of having a woman of the night or a therapist join them in the bedroom and help advise them. The problem was that neither one of them had any experience, so they both needed help!!!! I thought the wedding night conversation and seduction was actually going along well. As the wedding night progressed, they were getting more and more honest with each other. But then all went wrong. I just wish they could have talked and figured out a way for them to get better at it! I really did enjoy the performances of the actors. All was going great until the sexual act, and perhaps that's what the filmmaker intended. I think someone as open as Florence to the idea of Edward sleeping with other women would have perhaps been open to getting some help in the bedroom. Things do get better with some experience. I just wish Edward could have redeemed himself somehow. I was left feeling extremely bad for Edward's sisters and his family. They all loved Florence. She was an amazing influence on their mom who had mental issues. Edward loved her, but he was too much of an idiot to figure out a way back to her. It was just so depressing. I thought Edward had more potential. I thought he was destined to teach history at a university instead of ending up in a run down record shop. He didn't need to waste his life and never find his way back to his true love. Can someone call the sex therapist!!

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essential-23126

I did not see the trailer before seeing this film which is unusual, so I had no expectations of the storyline at all. I was surprised and interested in the context of the story of these two lovers in the early 1960s. Their difficulties with their families - his mother and her father - added substance to their story. Great cast and well acted.

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w-bogdan

The movie doesn't do justice to the book, it's a more vulgar approach to the subject.

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Thomas Drufke

I've always maintained that the things I admire most about movies is their constant ability to surprise me by telling a similar story in a different way. On Chesil Beach is one of those movies that presents a common story, a couple going through marital issues, but in a strikingly bold manner. Not only does the film make some brilliant choices narratively, but its performances and direction come from a refreshingly honest take. Never once did I believe this was a movie couple going through the motions as two actors acting out written sequences. This felt like a real life story being told through flashbacks and a bare bones script. I've never quite seen a film present such a detailed look at first love and first sexual encounter in the way "On Chesil Beach" does. The results are both touching and devastating. I love the way Dominic Cooke slowly but surely presents their "first night" with interlocking flashbacks to flesh out why these people are acting the way they do. On some levels, it's an awkward watch, but others it's an eye opening reminder about the reasons relationships begin and end & vice versa. Released quietly in theaters, it won't likely draw a ton of Oscar buzz, but there are a few scenes that I soon won't forget, in what could be the most earnest romantic film of 2018.8.6/10

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