This film is part of Rentals
On Chesil Beach
Saoirse Ronan and Billy Howle play a young, married couple struggling to physically connect in this sensitive adaptation of Ian McEwan’s acclaimed novel.
Director: Dominic Cooke
Overview
In the early 1960s, a young couple on their honeymoon struggle to physically connect in this sensitive adaptation of Ian McEwan’s acclaimed short novel. As Florence and Edward settle down for their first dinner as a married couple, a nervous energy fills the air. But while it might appear the fledgling husband and wife are suffering from wedding night jitters, as the evening unfolds it becomes apparent something else is creating a divide. Awkwardly grasping for the connection they know they share, the pair recall moments from their lives, both together and apart, as the inevitability of physical intimacy looms ever-closer.
Impeccably adapted for the screen by McEwan himself, Dominic Cooke’s quietly heart-breaking debut is a work of subtle restraint, capturing the intricacies of the source material with grace and delicacy. As ever, Saoirse Ronan shines as the hesitant young bride, ably supported by rising star Billy Howle, both of whom express so much, even when their characters struggle to find the words. And indeed, for a film in which many emotions remain unspoken, and countless feelings are left unsaid, this melancholic love story speaks profoundly about the fragility of human relationships and the destructive nature of silence.
Related
Drifter Drifter
Drama 2023 79 mins Director: Hannes Hirsch
A scintillating portrait of a young man coming to terms with life, love, sex and relationships in contemporary Berlin.
Four Daughters Four Daughters
Drama-documentary 2023 103 mins Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
The mother-daughter relationship is explored to cathartic effect in this complex and poignant hybrid documentary about a woman and her missing daughters.
Her Last Affaire Her Last Affaire
Drama 1936 68 mins Director: Michael Powell
Michael Powell's 'society drama’ involving suspicion, clandestine romance and presumed murder, and glorious comic double-act from Googie Withers and John Lurie.
She Will She Will
Thriller 2021 96 mins Director: Charlotte Colbert
In Charlotte Colbert’s strikingly gothic film, an ageing actor recovering from a mastectomy taps into a mysterious power at a remote Scottish retreat.
Shoshana Shoshana
Historical drama 2023 121 mins Director: Michael Winterbottom
A young Jewish woman’s relationship with a British policeman stationed in British Mandatory Palestine has lasting consequences for the region in Michael Winterbottom's powerful thriller.
The Peasants The Peasants
Drama 2023 115 mins Director: Hugh Welchman and Dorota Kobiela
Using an advanced oil painting animation technique, The Peasants is a visually thrilling rendering of Władysław Reymont’s Nobel Prize-winning tale.
The Florida Project The Florida Project
Drama 2017 112 mins Director: Sean Baker
Tangerine director Sean Baker presents another visionary take on the wild ups and dangerous downs of life in America’s underbelly, featuring an Oscar-nominated turn from Willem Dafoe.
Blade of the Immortal Blade of the Immortal
Action and Adventure 2017 141 mins Director: Takashi Miike
Takashi Miike's epically blood-strewn swordplay saga follows a samurai cursed with immortal life, who teams up with a young girl to avenge the murder of her parents.
Knives Out Knives Out
Thriller 2019 130 mins Director: Rian Johnson
Daniel Craig is the Kentucky Fried Poirot with all-star suspects - Chris Evans, Ana de Armas and Toni Collette among them - in this nimble and brilliant crime caper.
Triangle of Sadness Triangle of Sadness
Comedy 2022 148 mins Director: Ruben Östlund
Riotously funny with a barbed wire-sharp wit, Academy Award and BAFTA-nominated Triangle of Sadness garnered Ruben Östlund (The Square, Force Majeure) his second Cannes Palme d’Or award.
Living Living
Drama 2020 102 mins Director: Oliver Hermanus
Based on Akira Kurosawa's Ikiru, Academy Award-nominated Bill Nighy stars as a man determined to wake from his slumber and make a mark on the world.
Allelujah Allelujah
Drama 2022 103 mins Director: Richard Eyre
A warm, humorous, and deeply moving story about surviving old age, featuring a powerhouse British cast led by Jennifer Saunders (Absolutely Fabulous).
Ammonite Ammonite
Biopic 2021 118 mins Director: Francis Lee
Francis Lee follows up God’s Own Country with a film that is every bit as immersive, tactile and emotionally powerful, aided by the devastatingly good Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan.
Loving Vincent Loving Vincent
Drama 2017 95 mins Director: Hugh Welchman and Dorota Kobiela
The first ever fully painted feature film takes us through the last days of Vincent van Gogh.
Death Defying Acts Death Defying Acts
Drama 2008 93 mins Director: Gillian Armstrong
The great illusionist Harry Houdini (Guy Pearce) meets his match when the charming and manipulative Mary McGarvie (Catherine Zeta-Jones) magically appears in his life.
Brooklyn Brooklyn
Romance 2015 112 mins Director: John Crowley
Saoirse Ronan shines as a woman who journeys from post-war small-town Ireland to New York, in Nick Hornby’s adaptation of Colm Tóibín’s best-selling novel.
The Courier The Courier
Drama 2020 112 mins Director: Dominic Cooke
Benedict Cumberbatch is gripping in this true-life spy thriller charting the story of unassuming British businessman Greville Wynne as he is recruited into the Cold War effort.
Late Night with the Devil Late Night with the Devil
Horror 2023 93 mins
Like Ghostwatch reimagined as a cheesy 1970s chat show, this deviously clever found-footage horror has scares to spare.
Drifter Drifter
Drama 2023 79 mins Director: Hannes Hirsch
A scintillating portrait of a young man coming to terms with life, love, sex and relationships in contemporary Berlin.
Boys on Film 24: Happy Endings Boys on Film 24: Happy Endings
Anthology 2024 174 mins Director: Jason Bradbury, Jesse Ung, Diego Alvarez Parra, Itai Jamshy, Fabia Martin, Alejandro Sandoval Bertín, Sara Larrota, Benjamin Belloir, Jeremy McClain and Arthur Cahn
A compilation of new gay short films showcasing unashamedly positive stories of love, sex and romance to move, inspire and uplift.
Four Daughters Four Daughters
Drama-documentary 2023 103 mins Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
The mother-daughter relationship is explored to cathartic effect in this complex and poignant hybrid documentary about a woman and her missing daughters.
Her Last Affaire Her Last Affaire
Drama 1936 68 mins Director: Michael Powell
Michael Powell's 'society drama’ involving suspicion, clandestine romance and presumed murder, and glorious comic double-act from Googie Withers and John Lurie.
She Will She Will
Thriller 2021 96 mins Director: Charlotte Colbert
In Charlotte Colbert’s strikingly gothic film, an ageing actor recovering from a mastectomy taps into a mysterious power at a remote Scottish retreat.