A holiday break, or a marriage break? Manville, Hinds, reason to see heavy marriage drama
If the opposite of spring break, with its sun-soaked, carefree, good time connotation, is a dark, chilly, and serious midwinter break, then British director Polly Findlay’s new film more than lives up to its title. Midwinter Break is about as far removed from a happy-go-lucky youthful romp as you can get, and your enjoyment of it may depend on whether you’re in the mood for a weighty but well acted relationship drama.
Co-written with British screenwriter Nick Payne (We Live in Time), Midwinter Break marks Findlay’s feature film debut. An accomplished theater director, Findlay’s stage production background permeates her adaptation of Irish author Bernard MacLaverty’s 2017 award-winning novel of the same name. As with a play, the picture is light on action and heavy on intense dramatic dialogue from its main characters, long-married Irish couple Gerry (Ciarán Hinds, Belfast) and Stella (Lesley Manville, Ordinary Love; Phantom Thread).
Gerry and Stella are expats living in Glasgow, and their reasons for leaving their native Belfast decades ago become clear as the story progresses. We see that Gerry and Stella still love each other, but also can sense underlying tension in their dynamic. Stella surprises Gerry with an Amsterdam getaway as a Christmas gift, and as the pair navigate their shared holiday, the fissures in their relationship become even more apparent.
The two finally face uncomfortable truths and simmering resentments, primarily stemming from a traumatic experience in their past. They have coped differently: Stella is a devout Catholic, while Gerry has an aversion to religion and drinks at an alcoholic level. Their criticisms of each other’s perceived faults come to a head in several gut-wrenching scenes. One of these is a particularly brutal, airport-set, no-holds barred, truth-telling fight underscored by the irritation and exhaustion from a delayed flight. Let’s just say if you found watching Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson have it out in Marriage Story especially unpleasant, you’ll want to avoid Midwinter Break.
Hinds and Manville deliver performances just as fierce as Driver and Johnsson, and Manville specifically deserves kudos. Early-year films seldom are remembered at Oscar time, but Manville’s work here shouldn’t be forgotten come award season. Her portrayal of an unhappy woman struggling with overwhelming feelings of guilt and doubt as she tries to reconcile her faith and her past, present, and future deserves accolades.
Props also to Findlay and Payne for the film’s ending, which leaves the audience with more questions than it answers, and is better for it. Midwinter Break isn’t an easy watch, but viewers who seek thoughtful, emotionally true dramas won’t be disappointed.
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Midwinter Break is now in theaters, including at the AMC Metreon and the Apple Van Ness in San Francisco, the AMC Bay Street in Emeryville, and the Cinemark Century in Pleasant Hill.
