THE SENSE OF AN ENDING

Review: A retired man becomes haunted by his past. He is presented with a mysterious legacy which causes him to re-think his current situation in life.
Director: Ritesh Batra
Actors: Jim Broadbent, Charlotte Rampling, Harriet Walter, Michelle Dockery, Matthew Goode, Emily Mortimer, James Wilby, Edward Holcroft, Billy Howle, Freya Mavor, Joe Alwyn and Peter Wight
Year: 2017
Genre: Drama
Conclusion: 3/5
This is a British adaptation of Julian Barnes’ novel. The only criticism that I have is that I did find it too much like 45 Years (2015). I thought that Jim Broadbent kept the whole film together and this was the best performance I have ever seen him do. Lovely to see him with a very important role to play and as the leading man. As much as I love Michelle Dockery I don’t really understand why she was in it or what the meaning of her story was. I would have been quite happy for that story not to be in. I felt it had lots of different subject matters that they were trying to fit into the film but none of them were very well explained and not very clear. I came out of the screening trying to figure it all out. Felt nothing really came together clearly. I love the director and he has made the fantastic film called The Lunchbox (2013) which was very enjoyable to watch. I did find The Sense of an Ending to start off quite slowly but then halfway through it did pick up and get better. As good as it is I didn’t come away blown away like I thought I would. It also didn’t quite know how to finish. Freya Mavor didn’t have much to do but her performance was very effective. One of her first films was Sunshine on Leith (2013) and she was brilliant in that. The young Tony gives a very strong performance. He had a small part to play in the latest Dunkirk film (2017) and would love to see him get more work and become a successful actor. Even though Michelle Dockery and Matthew Goode had no scenes together they were both in Downton Abbey. The soundtrack was brilliant all the way through this film. It was lovely to see the scenes that were filmed in London. Some of the themes this film reflects on are youthful sex, inhibition, class, regret and false recollection. Despite some negative comments about the film I still thoroughly enjoyed it and am glad I have watched it.