Review of On Chesil Beach (2018) by Cam S — 22 Aug 2018

On Chesil Beach feels like it's written on a novelist's sensibilities with its slow, very posh British style, appropriate given Ian McEwan is responsible for the screenplay as well as the 2007 novel it's based on. The film leisurely hops back through time to explore the couple's relationship, also taking its time building the bond the pair shares as the two meet each other's parents, live their day-to-day lives, etc.

The film is subtle and quiet, probably too much so. The most that can be gleaned from the couple's supposed love comes from the excellent performances by Ronan and Howle brought out by director Dominic Cooke, a theatre veteran.

Coming hot off of last year's Lady Bird, Ronan more than sells her character's internal strife with careful nuance in every choice and expression, especially when the tide turns dramatic and her conflict between love and fear bubbles up. There likely hasn't been a more genuine performance this year.

Edward is just as confused with his introduction to adulthood as his Florence, but it's manifested through rage. Howle matches Ronan's quiet reserve with an intense performance layered with compelling amounts of complexity. The film is easily at its best when these foiling character dynamics are explored between the two leads.

The film never feels deliberate in what it's hoping to achieve, unfortunately. The flashbacks, though well enough crafted and excellently acted, don't inform Florence and Edward's relationship or the circumstances leading to Florence's disgust towards sex. We never see the two meet or understand what keeps them together up through the climactic fallout bookending the film, just the in-between parts that have little apparent impact on their relationship.

By placing so much attention on Florence and Edward's already fostered relationship, McEwan's screenplay does the exact opposite of its intentions to sympathize, instead creating a stark distance between the film and its audience. The film lacks thematic motivation in what it's trying to say or achieve through its otherwise strong characters. Ronan and Howle's excellent performances can only carry their characters' promising arcs for so much.

On Chesil Beach stands apart in a time in Hollywood where sexuality is openly, blatantly exploited across all forms of media. Though fairly well crafted, the film unfortunately doesn't fulfill its conceit due to overly distant storytelling.