Midwinter Break review
Polly Findlay’s barnstorming drama about interpersonal and religious tumult in late middle age is a triumph, swerving any sense of sentimentalism
TL;DR
- The film "Midwinter Break" by Polly Findlay, based on Bernard MacLaverty's novel, explores a couple's marital issues during a holiday.
- Gerry and Stella, a couple from Northern Ireland who relocated to Scotland due to the Troubles, are on a restorative break in Amsterdam.
- Stella has a moment of clarity at the Begijnhof, realizing her deep resentment towards Gerry's mockery of her Catholic faith and confessing a secret about her past in Northern Ireland.
- The film avoids sentimentalism and focuses on complex performances, especially by Lesley Manville.