The Child in Time

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The Child in Time

2017

1h 30m

Crime

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

79%

Tomatometer

24 Reviews

50%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

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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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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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

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Ani Bundel

WETA

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

Jan 31, 2019

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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

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

mauro l

A couple of parents replace their missing 4-year-old daughter by conceiving a brother. Eros wins the battles, Thanatos triumphs over the wars. (Mauro Lanari)

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Julian Farino

Director

Benedict Cumberbatch

Stephen

Kelly Macdonald

Julie

Stephen Campbell Moore

Charles

Saskia Reeves

Thelma

Andrea Hall

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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
Producer: Grainne Marmion
Screenwriter: Stephen Butchard, Ian McEwan
Production Co: British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: British English
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 3, 2018
Runtime: 1h 30m

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