The Child in Time

2017

1 hr. 30 min.

Crime

Drama

List

79%

24 Reviews

Tomatometer

51%

100+ Ratings

Audience Score

Stephen Lewis, a successful author of children's books, is confronted with the unthinkable when his only child disappears in a supermarket. Stephen and his wife, Julie, quickly find themselves torn apart by the loss.

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Premiered Apr 16

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Critics Consensus

The Child in Time skillfully resists melodrama, trusting the finer details of its story -- and the actors bringing them to life -- to land with a slow-building, devastating impact.

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Adhyaksa M

cry a lot watching this movie

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/17/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Cumberbatch and Macdonald are terrific, but you knew that. There's a base story line here that sets up together with the wax and wane of the couple's relationship for a fine film. But for some very odd reason there's a subplot that is nothing but distracting and detracts quite a bit from the whole. The bit on the friend who somehow is a ranking politician and publisher, but seemed like a flaky nitwit. He's apparently supposed to be living out some lost childhood as an adult, which is inverse in a way of the main story line. Or something. But I thought Campbell Moore was laughably bad. I'm fine with the ending. I just wanted more of the lead characters together, and more of the source material's time travel/mystic elements. What coulda been, kids. low 3 stars

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/20/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Liked it but still don't understand it

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

11/09/21

Full Review

Audience Member

Rich, heartfelt exploration of childhood, from multiple perspectives, save that of children themselves. Simply told, subtle and gentle, with superb performances all round.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/25/23

Full Review

alex h

"The Child in Time" is an incredible film. It was released on TV, which is why I was so shocked that not many people know about it's existence, as of how great it actually is. I just went on a marathon to watch every single Benedict Cumberbatch movie in existence and this one was an absolute thrill. It is only 1 and a half hours long, but every second of that time was made to make you feel everything that the characters are going through, which is the loss of a child. Losing a child is something that barely anyone can imagine happen to them in their life span and this movie shows what could happen, especially to the person responsible for this -- the father. It perfectly shows his depression and all the hard times he is going through. Music and operator's job help the viewer get into the events even better, as of how sad you feel the entire film and how desperately you want for the main character to find his child and finally achieve piece. This movie was not presented at any festivals, but rather broadcasted on British TV, although it badly deserves attention from people from all over the world. A truly magical thriller and an amazing drama, where every turn, every plot twist is very unpredictable, as well as the ending, which is sad because of how real it is and because of how impossible it is to predict, if you are already very deep into the story. A hidden masterpiece and one of the best acting portrayals of Benedict Cumberbatch, a 10/10, strongly recommended!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The speed of the film is probably a bit too slow for the average audience. This film is not focused on entertaining, but instead on telling a devastating story and it does this with such delicate realness, that the viewer finds himself involved with the plot. Furthermore it has one amazingly impactful moment, that is in its own way subtle but can shine in this film because of the whole setting and tone of the rest of the material. I'm sad that audience has given it such a bad score, it really deserves better.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

Full Review

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Julian Farino

Director

Benedict Cumberbatch

Stephen

Kelly Macdonald

Julie

Stephen Campbell Moore

Charles

Saskia Reeves

Thelma

Andrea Hall

Policewoman

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Brad Newsome

Sydney Morning Herald

The ending, which might have made a serviceable starting point for a second half, feels trite and unsatisfying. That said, the pairing of Cumberbatch and Macdonald is terrific.

Jul 11, 2018

Full Review

Allison Keene

Collider

The time motif plays an important and almost supernatural role in the story, but its effects are more poetic than anything.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 11, 2018

Full Review

Hanh Nguyen

indieWire

There is hope, there is another side for those left behind, and for The Child in Time it is hard won, but builds to this conclusion deliberately and beautifully.

Rated: A-

Apr 2, 2018

Full Review

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...a lackluster adaptation of a rather disappointing McEwan work.

Rated: 1.5/4

Mar 23, 2020

Full Review

Michelle Garrett Bulsiewicz

Deseret News (Salt Lake City)

While such a premise seems like a tear-jerker, the story thankfully leans away from sentimentality. Instead, it's a more subtle look at loss and love - if you can keep track of what is going on.

May 15, 2019

Full Review

Ani Bundel

WETA

The reason to tune in and watch this series is the pairing of Cumberbatch and McDonald, hands down.

Jan 31, 2019

Full Review

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Synopsis

Stephen Lewis, a successful author of children's books, is confronted with the unthinkable when his only child disappears in a supermarket. Stephen and his wife, Julie, quickly find themselves torn apart by the loss.

Director: Julian Farino
Executive Producer: Adam Ackland, David Boulter, Stephen Butchard, Benedict Cumberbatch, Helen Gregory
Screenwriter: Stephen Butchard, Ian McEwan
Production Co: British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English (United Kingdom)
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 3, 2018

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