The Sense of an Ending 2017

Sometimes what we remember is only half the story

6.4 / 10   193 vote(s)
PG-13
Mystery Drama

A man becomes haunted by his past and is presented with a mysterious legacy that causes him to re-think his current situation in life.

Release Date 2017-03-10
Runtime 1h 48m
Directors Ritesh Batra, Christopher Ross, Daisy Baldry, Samuel Martin Cook, Sekani Doram, Sarah MacFarlane, Toni Staples, Jasmin Backshall, Emily Woodward
Producers Ed Rubin, David M. Thompson, Paul Driver, Glen Basner, Joanie Blaikie, Ben Browning, Christine Langan, Sarada McDermott, Norman Merry, Milan Popelka, Aaron Ryder, Ed Wethered, Abigail McKenzie, Maria Fleischer, Hannah Getts
Writers Julian Barnes, Nick Payne

Told via twin timelines in the life of "Tony Webster"; this is quite a gentle introspective on the way we live our lives and of the relatively significant impact of some equally insignificant decisions we make as we go along. Billy Howle is the younger version who has a fling with "Veronica'. Fast forward forty-odd years and we find Jim Broadbent in the role - the owner of a small camera shop - who is left a diary in the will of the girl's mother. The ensuing story unravels what happened to their relationship back then, and we see something of how it may develop in the present (with Charlotte Rampling); and of how "Tony" has evolved via his failed marriage to Dame Harriet Walter and his relationship with his expectant daughter Michelle Dockery. There are a few good scenes with Matthew Goode as the teacher and Joe Alwyn also stands out as 'Adrian Finn". The adaptation of Julian Barnes' novel is, however, a wee bit stodgy - and the film relies very heavily on the charisma of Rampling, Broadbent and a good effort from Howle to make much impact. It is intelligently done, but told from a very one-sided perspective.

CinemaSerf