Midwinter Break
Click the pic to watch my FOX19 Morning Extra review of Midwinter Break!!
* ** and Beau’s bonus review of Psycho Killer! ***
Midwinter Break is playing theaters at the time of review. Rated PG-13. Common Sense says 13+
A longtime couple (Lesley Manville and Ciaran Hinds) take a life-changing trip to Amsterdam.
STORY: B
A tender, at times uneven, exploration of mature relationships.
There are many reasons for Stella’s angst. Director Polly Findlay aims for authenticity by including many of them, painting a realistic portrait of a woman at this complicated stage of her life.
Unfortunately, the story occasionally stutters as we jump from one issue to another.
It’s one of only a few small complaints I have about the film. Overall, the story is a stirring picture of mature people facing mature hurdles.
PEOPLE: A-
Hinds and Manville make an extraordinary couple.
Ciaran Hinds’s Gene is the couple’s pragmatist. He’s (largely) happy with life as he knows it.
Lesley Manville’s Stella is a devout Catholic, a believer and seeker of miracles. She senses she’s standing at the cusp of a last chapter in her life, and she believes she needs to live with more purpose than her current station provides.
Despite the friction their differing viewpoints create, they are still smitten with each other. Each tiny caress, sideways smile, and stolen glance convinces you of their love. They’re together in nearly every frame, and you can’t help but want more of them.
FILM NERD STUFF: A-
Breaks in pattern show the cracks.
Jazz music’s structure is based on patterns. The same melody is played over and over, until a player throws in a small tweak that sends the song into a new, exciting direction.
The film uses the same principle. Gene and Stella start each day in Amsterdam the same way. They descend in the cramped elevator, share breakfast, and cross the busy street. As they start to drift apart, slight changes in the pattern emerge. Later, the shoebox-sized elevator seems to grow bigger than a football field, illustrating the emotional distance between them. It’s fantastic visual storytelling.
ONE BIG LESSON: A
The Grand Canyon wasn’t built in a day!
Gene and Stella’s difficulties don’t suddenly appear. Like the Grand Canyon, - formed by thousands of tiny drops of water - tiny slights and small disagreements have added up over the decades, forming a chasm between them.
Even though they’re waving at each other from a great distance, there’s still hope. Canyons are meant to be crossed. You can make your way to each other, but it’s going to require work.
FINAL COMMENTS:
Life. Death. Love. Marriage. This film tackles its big themes with grace and respect.
It’s refreshing to see a film with characters in their 60s tackle their doubts about marriage. Most films that wrestle with the topic focus on characters in the throes of their mid-life crises. Midwinter Break is a moving story that people of any age will adore.
FINAL GRADE: A-
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