On Chesil Beach ** (2017, Saoirse Ronan, Billy Howle, Emily Watson, Samuel West, Anne-Marie Duff) – Movie Review

The wrong man Edward Mayhew (Billy Howle) falls for attractive but sexually frigid young Florence Ponting (Saoirse Ronan) in director Dominic Cooke’s 2017 film On Chesil Beach, based on Ian McEwan’s 2007 bestselling romantic tragedy novel set in 1962 England.

It is a very interesting, desperately sad romantic story, with plenty of period English-style pent-up frustrated passion, while the fear of intimacy theme and the topic of a young woman’s asexuality make the right impact. The young couple’s fateful wedding night is painful to watch and the heart-rending key scene on Chesil Beach is very touching. And there is plenty of seemingly convincing period atmosphere too, with stylish cinematography by Sean Bobbitt.

But, on the downside, unexpectedly McEwan’s own screenplay and the performances are both struggling a bit to make their right impact. It needs Harold Pinter for dialogue and Joseph Losey for direction to make it work, but of course they are gone now. Despite being appealing actors, Howle and Ronan both seem awkward in their roles, perhaps through the difficulties and challenges of playing these troubled characters. Ronan has a particularly hard, uphill job.

Emily Watson and Samuel West as Florence’s parents and Anne-Marie Duff as Marjorie Mayhew and Adrian Scarborough as Lionel Mayhew are all wasted in wholly under-written roles. The film is entirely about the two lead characters, and that is fine, but it is sad for the other actors to be so sidelined.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Movie Review

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