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The Sense of an Ending

Play trailer 2:29 Poster for The Sense of an Ending PG-13 Released Mar 10, 2017 1h 48m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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75% Tomatometer 121 Reviews 52% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
A business owner (Jim Broadbent) reunites with his first love (Charlotte Rampling) after a letter and a diary force him to confront the past.
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The Sense of an Ending

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Critics Consensus

Anchored by a strong starring performance by Jim Broadbent, The Sense of an Ending proves consistently gripping even as it skims the narrative surface of its literary source material.

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Critics Reviews

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Olivia Luder One Room With A View While the lack of answers may frustrate some, the assured direction of Batra and an affecting performance from Broadbent make this a film to remember. Rated: 4/5 Mar 5, 2019 Full Review Kimberley Jones Austin Chronicle The book's mysteries and bleak epiphanies prove too subtle for the film to adapt with any deep impact. Rated: 2.5/5 Dec 27, 2017 Full Review Jake Wilson The Age (Australia) All this couldn't be further in spirit from the source material, where part of the point is that the "real" Tony remains a mystery, even or especially to himself. Rated: 2/5 May 26, 2017 Full Review Brian T. Carney Washington Blade The Sense of an Ending features a beautifully nuanced performance by Jim Broadbent... Dec 15, 2022 Full Review Michael J. Casey Michael J. Cinema The problem with 'Sense of An Ending' might not be the main character's tone-deaf approach to his female relationships but the filmmaker's. Rated: 1.5/5 May 25, 2021 Full Review Leigh Monson Substream Magazine Whether through the fault of the writing or the editing, The Sense of an Ending is an absolute mess. Rated: 1.5/5 Sep 24, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Shane O I think this film is really well done. The acting is brilliant, and the it subtly tells a story of regret, bitterness and how rash action taken in youth at times of heightened emotion can have lasting negative impacts. Overall, the film is really deep. You end up feeling for all the characters and I think it has a hopeful but not sentimental message of redemption. The only negative note is I don't feel the theme of suicide was handled with sufficient care. I feel it was relegated to the role of plot device to tease out other emotive and spiritual questions. This is obviously not suitable a role for such a pressing social problem. I do, however, quite like the reflection on memory and its failings as well as how self serving we can all be with our own narratives until we are inconvenienced by reality. Overall, a really good movie, that will make you reflect and is entertaining with plot twists as well. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 11/11/24 Full Review Kevin C Written well, acted well, suspenseful, unpredictable, and subtle. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 08/19/24 Full Review Peter G Julian Barnes also wrote the screenplay & all was very clear to me in the transition from novel to film. I feel his adaptation held my interest throughout & a splendid cast added generally fine characterizations as well. The flashback structure could be occasionally confusing but viewing the film a second time might make the action clearer for some. The brevity of Barnes novel allows the film sufficient time to include all the fundamental details in the plot. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/24/24 Full Review Jeremy S Not unusually, it was a big disappointment compared to the book. I probably watched it to confirm that to be honest. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/29/24 Full Review Vander A What a cast......But, it is a movie that is not worth 2 hrs of your life trying to figure out the life of the main character - it never develops enough interest for you to care. Hard to believe with such great actors but it's really just sort of boring. It never goes anywhere and I never figured out the plot but didn't care. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 07/29/23 Full Review isla s This is a slow moving drama about grief, loss and self reflection. It includes references to suicide, so I thought I should point that out in terms of it being a trigger warning. Its quite nostalgic and somewhat thought provoking and Jim Broadbent gives a particularly good performance as the main character, Tony Webster, who recalls his younger days and wonders what may have been. Its not especially maudlin (i.e. overly sentimental), which I appreciated as I'm not really a big fan of over the top sentimental type films, I have to say. This is a fairly understated film. I found this a quite engrossing and thoughtful watch and would recommend it to others. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Sense of an Ending

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis A business owner (Jim Broadbent) reunites with his first love (Charlotte Rampling) after a letter and a diary force him to confront the past.
Director
Ritesh Batra
Producer
David M. Thompson, Ed Rubin
Screenwriter
Nick Payne
Distributor
CBS Films
Production Co
Origin Pictures
Rating
PG-13 (Brief Strong Language|A Violent Image|Sexuality|Thematic Elements)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
British English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 10, 2017, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
May 23, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$1.2M
Runtime
1h 48m
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