Sur la plage de Chesil

"On Chesil Beach" (R, 1:50) is a drama from first-time feature film director Dominic Cooke (known mainly for helming TV's "The Hallow Crown" and "National Theater Live: A Comedy of Errors"). The screenplay is by British writer Ian McEwan, adapting his own 2007 novella of the same name. The film stars multiple Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan and Billy Howle - and was released one week after another literary adaptation, "The Seagull", in which the same two actors played young Russian lovers. This story follows two young Brits as they meet, fall in love and get married, focusing mainly on the wedding night.

Florence Pointing and Edward Mayhew have just been married and have arrived at a hotel at the titular beach for their honeymoon. Through an uncomfortable dinner in their room and awkward fumblings with their clothes, it becomes painfully clear that they are equally inexperienced and nervous regarding sex. As the evening slowly progresses, we see flashbacks of how their romance developed, with hints at what makes the prospect of sleeping together so uncomfortable for them - especially Florence. When things come to a head, the young marrieds have a seaside conservation which reveals much about who they are (and the era in which they live) and has very important consequences for the rest of their lives.

"On Chesil Beach" is one of the most layered and most profound movies you are likely to see in 2018. Woven in with the development of the romance, the developments on the wedding night and the repercussions of all of it are themes of sexual repression, gender roles, class differences, pride, regret, communication, forgiveness and, of course, love and marriage. Some will say that not much happens in this film, but there is still a whole lot happenING. And through it all, the considerable acting chops of the two leads (bolstered by solid performances from multiple Oscar nominee Emily Watson, Anne-Marie Duff, Samuel West, Adrian Scarborough and Bebe Cave) make the characters exceedingly sympathetic and relevant. This is a very well-done film without much action, but with plenty to show all of us. "A-"

Edward and florence have both just gotten their uni degrees. They fall in love and get married. But they have very different personalities; florence appears so strong and confident, but has her own unspoken past to deal with. Edward is still very young and innocent, and lacks florence's headstrong manner. This story is about how they handle their various issues. Edward seems to be overwhelmed by his own situation at home. Throw in a proud, stubborn streak, and his own inexperience, sexually. Like most young and foolish newlyweds, they don't really communicate properly. Anger and pride keep them both from listening and understanding. The actors do a great job, but it gets quite bleak and dark. Some beautiful scenery of dorset area. And snippets of beautiful classical music, as that is florence's profession. Directed by dominic cooke. Story by ian mcewan.

On Chesil Beach: The film opens with Florence (Saoirse Ronan) and Edward (Billy Howle) strolling along the eponymous beach, they have just been married that day. Returning to their hotel room a pair of piss taking waiters insist on hanging around serving the silver service meal. This adds to the couples nervousness as both seem to be inexperienced sexually which apparently wasn't unusual for university graduates in the UK in 1962.

There then follows a series of flashbacks, not in chronological order, as the attempt to consummate the marriage continues. They first met at a CND meeting in Oxford, Edward wandered in literally by accident but it was love at first sight. Not at all corny, you can literally see Cupid's Arrows crossing the room. Florence offers Edward a booklet on the likely results of a H-Bomb hitting Oxford, Edward says it sounds like a good idea.

Florence has a first in Music from Oxford, Edward's first is in History from UCL This makes Florence's mother Violet (Emily Watson) wonder if his parents are from a tradesman background and her factory owner father Geoffrey (Samuel West) is equally snobby albeit in a more restrained manner. Edward's father Lionel (Adrian Scarborough) is an engineer and his mother Marjorie (Anne-Marie Duff) is an artist but suffers from an acquired brain injury and is prone to acting unpredictably.

There is some good acting especially by Anne-Marie Duff but the thespians are hampered by a screenplay which hasn't been fully translated from novel to film, even though novelist Ian McEwan has written the adaptation. The chopped up nature of the flashbacks in this instance also hamper the development of a coherent narrative. This is still a touching story of love blighted by inexperience with some dark secrets also implied in the background. 7/10.

I love Saoirse Ronan so much, just like everyone else in the universe should. She's a supremely talented actress and I knew I had to see this film as soon as I could. On Chesil Beach is a film made by a first time director in Dominic Cooke. The film also reunites Billy Howle and Ronan, after starring in The Seagull (which came out a week ago as it is). So Saoirse Ronan month continues and On Chesil Beach was definitely enjoyable. The film is a little different than I expected but is a satisfying experience.

The film is about two young people who get married and are anxious about consummating for the very first time. It turns out having sexual intercourse has really big implications on their present relationship and what their future holds for them as well. The film utilizes flashbacks within present time and then flashes to the future so that we can see the two leads in different times of their life and how their lives coincide at each step.

Saoirse Ronan is typically fantastic in this. She's such a talent in everything she's in and her raw emotion and hesitation in committing to a physical relationship is portrayed with a delicate confidence. The film is sharply written, although it falters a few steps of the way. Its a different type of story focused on a physical experience that usually doesn't matter to this extent in other films. The film's last twenty minutes are really well done and bring the picture together. We've all kind of been there with the first time so its easy to relate and know the nervousness involved by both parties.

The cinematography is fantastic, especially when it comes to life on the extended scene at the beach. Costumes design and set design are also up to par. The film presents itself with grace and poise. The film will make a name out of Billy Howle and Dominic Cooke. Cooke seems like an experienced filmmaker and he can only grow from here. I will obviously continue to follow Saoirse's films like a lost puppy in the hopes that she is finally rewarded with an Academy Award.

7/10

At times it felt very clunky and over complicated for no reason by the script and it was carried throughout by the once again spectacular Saoirse Ronan but the film just about gets across what it's trying to achieve without achieving the maximum effect it could have. A reasonable watch but nothing amazing.