The Sense of An Ending: Slow emotional journey

Cast: Jim Broadbent, Charlotte Rampling 

Rated: 4.5/10

Two reasons to see this slow and steady, old world winner: First, the film is directed by Ritesh Batra, the guy who directed the highly engaging The Lunchbox. This is his English debut and he does a measurably good job with it.

The film may not hold you in thrall throughout but the tugging at your heart and the very many points you may identify it, makes it a movie worth watching. Batra has done well not to overdramatise the look-back by an old who goes back and forth in time and finally emerges from it all to set all his foolish mistakes aside, apologise for his misbehaviour and realise the importance of family.

Yes, there are a lot of “blimey” down the way, and at times being with the good meaning old man becomes tedious but it the acumen of the actor that he manages to draw you back into the proceedings and you then sit back and introspect alongside.

It all starts with the old man’s ex-girlfriend’s mother’s letter telling him that she had bequeathed to him a letter written by his school friend to him. Obviously he is intrigued and wants to read it, especially when his friend, who had snatched his girlfriend Veronica from him, had committed suicide.

There’s another letter that he is extremely guilty of writing to this friend in a lovelorn state. That’s when getting things right in life comes on to his bucket list and you just amble along to see how he does it.

Played beautifully by Jim Broadbent, the old man runs you through a soiree of emotions and gets you out somewhat exhausted by the experience. The cut and dry portrayal of old Veronica by Charlotte Rampling is the perfect counterfoil to all the emotionality and the flashbacks too do not seem out of place or too many.

It is a slow one but languidness sometimes flowers well when done up with emotional props. See this one for old time’s sake.

Source: Sunday Pioneer, 21 May, 2017