On its surface, The Sense of an Ending is a movie that offers suspense geared toward a more mature audience. Since this is a rare combination in today’s world of film, it looks to least contain features that could thrill in a way that’s both familiar and foreign. With that being my mindset before actually seeing it myself, I was still a bit stunned by what it actually was about, what was included and how it was all put together by the director.
We see from the start that Tony Webster (Jim Broadbent) sort of lives a life of a recluse. The one time family man has been spending most of his time alone until recently when secrets from his life as a young man begin to spring up. Both intrigued and puzzled, the seasoned older gentleman seeks to learn the truth surrounding a crucial point in time involving his first love (Charlotte Rampling), the consequences of his actions and where this new information will lead him from now on.
In the early going, The Sense of an Ending presents it viewers with a pacing issue. While it’s unveiling the characters and the story that they’re involved in, they risk the chance of losing people who decide to give this a chance. What I’m basically saying is that it’s extremely slow. For some people, this will be a definite problem, but there’s a chance that you will feel as if you’re being rewarded if you stick with it for a bit.
Once most of what is needed to be seen is firmly established, things speed up and the film improves. At this point, it becomes something I could recommend to just about anybody. While the movie itself isn’t what I thought it would be in terms of the actual nature of the suspense, there are enough “twists and turns” to keep your attention as you question what’s going to happen when it reaches the completion of its final act.
That end is something that can be met with an awkward feeling that is very mature, kind of fitting, and comforting to a degree. You may only feel those types of emotions for some of the characters involved, but you may also feel that way yourself. Whether one way or both, the way the story in this film concludes will leave you with a sense of an ending that puts everything into perspective.
After you watch it and think on it a little more, I think you’re more than likely to get even more out of it. That’s because you won’t only accept that this is a complete story within a flawed movie, What you’ll also get is the chance to put the puzzle together that they present to the audience. In doing that, you’re able to pull away the layers that were pieced together that eventually helped turn this into a solid picture.
As a whole, The Sense of an Ending is a fine movie with exceptional parts at some specific points. With quicker pacing in the early going, this could have been something I’d urge anyone to go see as soon as they’re possibly able to do so. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case, but some will still see and be able to enjoy what they’re watching throughout.
Director: Ritesh Batra
Cast:
Jim Broadbent
Harriet Walter
Michelle Dockery
Emily Mortimer
Joe Alwyn
Freya Mavor
Matthew Goode
Charlotte Rampling
Film Length: 108 Minutes
Release Date: March 17, 2017 (Expanded U.S. Release)
Distributor: CBS Films
