On Chesil Beach (film)

On Chesil Beach is a 2017 drama film directed by Dominic Cooke (in his feature directorial debut) and written by Ian McEwan, who adapted his own 2007 Booker Prize-nominated novella of the same name. It stars Saoirse Ronan and Billy Howle and tells the story of virgin newlyweds, Florence and Edward, and their first disastrous attempt at having sex. The initial experience and their differing responses to the failure have lifelong consequences for both.

The film had its world premiere in the Special Presentations section at the Toronto International Film Festival on 7 September 2017, and was released in the United States and UnitedKingdom in May 2018.

Cast

 * Saoirse Ronan as Florence Ponting
 * Billy Howle as Edward Mayhew
 * Emily Watson as Violet Ponting
 * Anne-Marie Duff as Marjorie Mayhew
 * Samuel West as Geoffrey Ponting
 * Adrian Scarborough as Lionel Mayhew
 * Bebe Cave as Ruth Ponting
 * Anton Lesser as Reverend Woollett
 * Mark Donald as Charles Morrell
 * Tamara Lawrance as Molly
 * Anna Burgess as Anne Mayhew
 * Mia Burgess as Harriet Mayhew

Plot
In England in 1962, Edward Mayhew and Florence Ponting first meet after graduating from their respective universities. He is a history major and rock-and-roll lover; she is a classical violinist with her own burgeoning quartet. They fall in love quickly, engage in a pleasant courtship, meet each other's families, and eventually decide to get married, despite their differences in background and social status.

Florence is secretly anxious about the wedding due to her fears about sex and possibly also for other reasons, but there is no one she can discuss this with. On Edward and Florence's honeymoon at Chesil Beach, their backgrounds begin to come to the fore: Edward's historic quickness to anger and sometimes physical belligerence, and Florence's unspoken past with her father, who dominated her and possibly molested her. They are both inexperienced sexually, and their first attempt at sex goes badly wrong. Florence flees down the beach, and after being confronted by an angry Edward, finally concludes that she loves him very much and wants to be with him for life but can only be a platonic wife, which Edward rejects. They part ways and their marriage is annulled.

Thirteen years later, in 1975, a subdued and fairly morose Edward owns a record shop. He accidentally learns that Florence is married and has a child, and he painfully reminisces about his love for her and their unfortunate misunderstanding. Much later, in 2007, a very lonely Edward overhears on the radio that Florence's quartet, which includes her husband, will be giving a farewell concert after 50 years of professional success. He attends and sits prominently front and center, and when their eyes meet, Edward and Florence shed silent tears of regret.

Development
In 2010, Sam Mendes had signed on to direct the film with Focus Features developing. Carey Mulligan was in talks to star as Florence Ponting. Shooting was delayed when Mendes' Skyfall went into production and Focus Features pulled out of development. In 2011, the film went back in to pre-production, this time with Mike Newell directing and Sam Mendes producing through his Neal Street Productions banner with StudioCanal and BBC Films. Later, production ceased after pre-production over-ran and the producers got cold feet.

In February 2016, it was announced that Saoirse Ronan was to play Florence Ponting. Elizabeth Karlsen and Stephen Woolley produced the film under their Number 9 Films banner. In May 2016, during the Cannes Film Festival, it was announced that BBC Films would co-produce the film. In August 2016, Billy Howle joined the cast as the male lead. In October 2016, it was announced that Thorsten Schumacher's new film and TV outfit Rocket Science had come on board to complete international sales.

Filming
Principal photography began on 17 October 2016, on Chesil Beach, Dorset, England. Other filming locations included London, Oxford and Pinewood Studios in England.

Release
Lionsgate acquired the distribution rights for the United Kingdom in October 2016. On Chesil Beach had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on 7 September 2017. Bleecker Street acquired the U.S. distribution rights in October 2017.

On Chesil Beach was released in the UK on 18 May 2018. Originally scheduled for theatrical release in the United States on 15 June 2018, the date was pushed up to 18 May 2018.

Critical response
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 68% based on 134 reviews, and an average rating of 6.3/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "On Chesil Beach presents a well-acted and solidly crafted adaptation of a small yet resonant story with deceptively rich subtext." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 62 out of 100, based on 33 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

The Economist praised McEwan's screenwriting for having "deviated from the source material in effective ways". Owen Gleiberman of Variety praised the cast and called the film a "romantic drama that gets so far into the mystique of its era that it takes you somewhere you’ve never been." Anya Jaremko-Greenwold of FLOOD Magazine wrote that "while men might fail to recognize how intimidating the expectation of sex can be for women, it’s something McEwan’s novel (and the film, for which he wrote the screenplay) hinges upon with exquisite delicacy."

Writing for IndieWire, Kate Erbland gave the film a grade of "C+," saying, "After a strong start, the film’s middle section sags into the most benign of observations about Edward and Florence and the elements that have pulled them together. For a film that is so consumed with the burning complications of first, early love, On Chesil Beach more resembles a wilted relationship, one that offers up no excitement about the future and little respect for the past." James Brotheridge from Exclaim! gave the film a rating of 5/10 for its unsuccessful use of layered timelines, saying, "Even if the editing is even keeled and the effort at bringing some filmmaking verve is appreciated, these moments wind up feeling disparate and the characters feeling emotionally stunted as presented here."