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Benediction

Play trailer 2:09 Poster for Benediction PG-13 Released Jun 3, 2022 2h 17m Biography History Drama War LGBTQ+ Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
92% Tomatometer 153 Reviews 65% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Verified Ratings
Written and directed by acclaimed filmmaker Terence Davies, Benediction explores the turbulent life of WWI poet Siegfried Sassoon (Jack Lowden). The writer and soldier was a complex man who survived the horrors of fighting in the First World War and was decorated for his bravery but who became a vocal critic of the government's continuation of the war when he returned from service. His poetry was inspired by his experiences on the Western Front, and he became one of the leading war poets of the era. Adored by members of the aristocracy as well as stars of London's literary and stage world, he embarked on affairs with several men as he attempted to come to terms with his homosexuality. At the same time, broken by the horror of war, he made his life's journey a quest for salvation, trying to find it within the conformity of marriage and religion.
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Benediction

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Critics Consensus

It isn't an easy watch, but Benediction uncovers a profoundly affecting drama in the real-life story of a combat veteran whose poetry warned against the horrors of war.

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Critics Reviews

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Christina Newland iNews.co.uk For a film-maker as wonderful as Davies, Benediction is a missed opportunity. Rated: 3/5 Sep 18, 2024 Full Review Alissa Wilkinson Vox There is no happy-go-lucky ending here, only the sense that an ineffable longing we have, to know and be known, is so precious and rare that most of us never find its fulfillment here on Earth. Aug 5, 2022 Full Review David Sims The Atlantic Davies is a remarkably empathetic filmmaker, attuned to his characters’ subtlest moods and intent on equally depicting their joys, hardships, and mundane middle grounds. Aug 3, 2022 Full Review CJ Sheu The News Lens International Transcendent performances and visionary direction make for a numinous final film by Terence Davies. Sep 6, 2024 Full Review William Stottor Loud and Clear Reviews Often poignant but frequently disjointed, Benediction is a scattered portrait of First World War poet Siegfried Sassoon, juggling themes of homosexuality, war and religion. Rated: 3/5 Jul 18, 2024 Full Review Nadine Whitney The Curb Benediction is achingly sad but poignant – like all great art it elicits empathy for the subject and the many, many young men who were lost due to wars out of their control; whether those be on a battlefield or in their personal lives. Rated: A Oct 7, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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David P A profoundly moving character study. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/20/22 Full Review Jon B The movie was done very tastefully. I thought it started off a bit slow, but, I guess they had to set the scene. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/15/22 Full Review Google This was an incredibly slow movie. I have never felt a WWI-related movie (of which I have seen many) was done so badly. The jumping back and forth in time wasn't well-used either. Pick a topic related to Sassoon and stick with it. Argh. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 06/13/22 Full Review Joe No idea what I just watched. Save yourself and run. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 06/05/22 Full Review anneliese Long, boring story of a talented man who was drawn to all kind of gay men, but the one he wanted most thru his whole life was unfaithful, unkind, and arrogantly evil. Why the heck couldn’t he choose one of the guys who was morale, loving, and faithful, like he claimed to be? Utterly hopeless and depressing movie! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/05/22 Full Review R Victor B This is a beautifully made movie the weaving of the poetry and the contemporary films of the horrors of the Great War, World War I, work wonderfully to make a moving story of a man and his iconoclastic life. The acting is superb, and the young man/old man juxtaposition works so much better than in most similar situations. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/04/22 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

Synopsis Written and directed by acclaimed filmmaker Terence Davies, Benediction explores the turbulent life of WWI poet Siegfried Sassoon (Jack Lowden). The writer and soldier was a complex man who survived the horrors of fighting in the First World War and was decorated for his bravery but who became a vocal critic of the government's continuation of the war when he returned from service. His poetry was inspired by his experiences on the Western Front, and he became one of the leading war poets of the era. Adored by members of the aristocracy as well as stars of London's literary and stage world, he embarked on affairs with several men as he attempted to come to terms with his homosexuality. At the same time, broken by the horror of war, he made his life's journey a quest for salvation, trying to find it within the conformity of marriage and religion.
Director
Terence Davies
Producer
Michael Elliott
Screenwriter
Terence Davies
Distributor
Roadside Attractions
Production Co
Creative England, M.Y.R.A. Entertainment, EMU Films, British Film Institute, BBC Films, Lipsync Productions
Rating
PG-13 (Thematic Elements|Some Sexual Material|Disturbing War Images)
Genre
Biography, History, Drama, War, LGBTQ+
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 3, 2022, Limited
Box Office (Gross USA)
$201.1K
Runtime
2h 17m
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