Summary
Flo and Ed, newly married, arrive at their seaside hotel to celebrate their Honeymoon, but as their relationship’s history is unfolded and the moment of consumption draws near, the things left unsaid during their courtship cause them to question their marriage.
Fish Out of Water
It always puzzles me when a movie that has no gunshots in it releases in the middle of the summer. It seems like a serious character piece is destined to flounder amidst the energy wielders, spell casters, and transforming robots that dominate the summer box office, but perhaps that is precisely why I enjoyed it so much.
Maybe enjoy is the wrong word though. This is a film about family disfunction, personal disfunction, and relational hardship. There are few moments in it where I found myself smiling and more than where I found myself so sad for this couple that I wanted to stop watching.
Sad But True
I know I am not selling this movie very well right now but you are the sort of person who doesn’t want any sadness in their films then certainly skip “On Chesil Beach.” The thing about this film though, is that it rings true in a profound way that takes a person who may not be able to relate with almost anything that this couple goes through but still completely identify with them and end up saying, “I totally understand how they feel.”
The truths about love, belonging, loss, and shame are what make this film so beautiful. It isn’t a romantic comedy where everything wraps up in a pretty bow and we watch a gag reel play over the credits, but it is the sort of film that makes you want to find your partner afterword and hold them close, whispering “I’m sorry for all the hurt that has ever been done to you. I love you and am always here for you.”
Saoirse and Billy
The bulk of the credit for the relatable nature of the film rests on the leads, Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn) and Billy Howle. I have long felt that Saoirse Ronan is a criminally underrated actress. She garnered some attention for “Ladybird” and "Atonement," but she is one of the most talented young actresses working today.
This film is no exception. Once again she portrays some of the most conflicted and complicated emotions possible with a vulnerable believability that allows the viewer to identify entirely with some one whose feelings might be completely alien to them.
Apparently I have seen Billy Howle before, in “Dunkirk,” but, I must confess that I do not remember him well. This film pulls him from my periphery to the center of my attention as an actor to watch. In many ways his character to could be seen as villainous, manipulative, petty, and arrogant, yet he finds the ability to draw out the empathetic side of those characteristics to the extant that you feel pity for him as well as disgust.
The acting in this film is so vital to the effectiveness of the film that I do not want to understate of gloss over just how wonderful it is. It’s the sort of acting that doesn’t leap of the screen at you. It isn’t angry acting and various degrees of yelling. It is subtle movements and shifts in vocal tone that reflect slight nuances of the heart. It’s acting that belongs on a movie screen, not on a stage.
The Faults Are Not With The Stars
Unfortunately this film is not without weaknesses. They are small but there.
The first is the pacing. I don’t know if I am getting infected by YouTube attention span syndrome but it seems like a lot of the films I’ve been seeing this year have seemed a bit longer than needed. “On Chesil Beach” falls into this category. Trim 10-15 minutes out of it and its rating jumps a star in my book.
The other thing that would cause a star jump would have been a better make up or effects budget. The film spends its last 10-15 minutes showing us Flo and Ed all grown up in their 60s. There is just no making these two young actors look old. All the makeup in the world just looks like makeup. I’m not sure why they didn’t do CG but it may not have done the job either. It was just too distracting during some of the most meaningful scenes of the film.
Verdict
All in all, this film is a breath of fresh air during the summer of characters with big muscles and small emotional arcs. If you find yourself amongst the throngs of people sporting Marvel, Star Wars, and Harry Potter garb, and you wonder what everyone sees in these shallow special effects extravaganzas, then grab your tissues and shove your sense of discomfort to the side for a couple of hours and see “On Chesil Beach."
