On Chesil Beach (2018)

Review

110min

Genre:       Drama, Romance

Director:    Dominic Cooke

Cast:         Saoirse Ronan, Billy Howle, Anne-Marie Duff…and more

Writer:      Ian McEwan

-Synopsis-

Stuck in the confines of a new marriage and a British coastal honeymoon in the early 1960s, a young couple’s idyllic romance gives way to a struggle for physical connection in emotional silence, as they recount past experiences in an uncomfortable bid to forge the bond between husband and wife—in this melancholy period drama adapted from the Ian McEwan novel.

After blossoming into one of the finest young leading-ladies working today with period dramas and coming-of-age stories alike, culminating in her third Oscar nomination at the age of twenty-four this year for ‘Lady Bird’, Saoirse Ronan joins forces with debutant film director Dominic Cooke and celebrated novelist/screenwriter  Ian McEwan (Enduring Love, Atonement)—for a nuanced and quintessentially British tale of restrained emotional anguish, sexual hang-ups, and fateful decisions.

Ronan stars as violinist and classical quartet leader ‘Florence’, a reserved prim-and-proper young graduate from a well-to-do family who marries ‘Edward’ (Billy Howle), a more care-free fellow alumnus and country boy, as they awkwardly handle the intricacies of being newlyweds at a picturesque coastal Dorset retreat. When intimacy and marital expectations abruptly become a factor, Florence and Edward begin to reminisce about the roots of their relationship and the emotional struggles which formed their characters—as an excruciating attempt to consummate the marriage turns confronting and revealing, and decisions are made which affect a lifetime.

If there ever was a film to encapsulate the popular media quote “No Sex Please, We’re British”—that is apart from the 1973 film of the same name and the stage farce on which it’s based—it would probably be ‘On Chesil Beach’. McEwan’s story is no doubt a subtle and serious deconstruction of two young people and the experiences which form their characters, brought together by circumstance and forced by tradition and expectation to forge a certain connection. But at its heart this is a tale about us stiff-upper-lipped Brits and our undeniable sexual hang-ups, viewed through the prism of a less permissive and more regimented culture from a different time, and perhaps feeding into the current discussion about gender roles—particularly when it comes to sexuality and the responsibilities of marriage.

Adorned by well-shot picturesque settings and production designs which help to re-create an idyllic Britain of the early 60s (and beyond), ‘On Chesil Beach’ is very much a character piece brought to life by an ensemble cast of largely British and mostly lesser known talents. The supporting cast is led by the always impressive Emily Watson as Florence’s uptight mother ‘Violet’, and Anne-Marie Duff as Edward’s troubled artistic mom ‘Marjorie’, not to mention their respective husbands the rigid ‘Geoffrey’ (Samuel West) and the looser ‘Lionel’ (Adrian Scarborough).

Yet at its core this is pretty much a two-hander between two young talents who share a deliberately awkward and distant but strong on-screen chemistry, with up-and-comer Billy Howle shining in his first lead role as the good-natured but conflicted young man trying to carve his place out in a world which confounds him. But it’s his co-lead Saoirse Ronan who inevitably steals the limelight, adding to her already impressive filmography and growing reputation as one of the finest actors of this latest generation—as she subtly brings to life a reserved and socially awkward young woman with a determined core, with some upper middle-class emotional scarring and mild daddy issues, as she struggles with intimacy and expectations whilst forging a future beyond the decisions of the present.

It would be an understatement to say that ‘On Chesil Beach’ is a subtle and studied British period drama, reflecting not only the characters but the world in which they live, but as it progresses (or struggles to) it does begin to feel too restrained for its own good. No doubt the arduous tension between the young newlyweds is deliberate and crucial to the drama, but the exposition flashbacks which break them up are less insightful in terms of explaining their emotional baggage than they should be. The story’s two abrupt chronological forward jumps meanwhile are majorly disruptive to the flow of the film, with the third act leap proving a slightly convenient and sentimental effort—and an unnecessary departure from the novel.

Ultimately ‘On Chesil Beach’ manages to avoid melodrama but falls well short of being moving or truly emotionally engrossing, resulting in a stylish production which sits innocuously somewhere in between—a subtle and cerebral relationship drama which never really manages to tug at the heartstrings, but is comfortably carried on the back of two impressive young performers.

The Bottom Line…

Whilst its commitment to subtlety and an overly studied approach to emotional strife prevents ‘On Chesil Beach’ from being completely captivating, or forging a strong emotional connection with the audience, this nuanced character study of repression and disconnection is well crafted enough to be held up by its two impressive young leads—making for a solid if unspectacular Ian McEwan adaptation and directorial debut for Dominic Cooke.

Similar films you may like (Home Video)

Brooklyn (2015)

Anglo/Irish period drama starring Saoirse Ronan as ‘Eilis’, a young Irish immigrant in 1950s New York who’s torn between two lives and two countries separated by a vast ocean, a heart-splitting romance adapted by Nick Hornby from Colm Tóibín’s award-winning novel.

Directed by John Crowley and starring Saoirse Ronan, Emory Cohen and Domhnall Gleeson among others.

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