Midwinter Break

It’s becoming increasingly rare these days that movies present stories with insightful, contemplative narratives, despite the fact that we probably need pictures like this now more than ever. However, viewers looking for films that provide them with profound food for thought should seriously consider screening this latest offering from director Polly Findlay. Based on the acclaimed 2017 novel of the same name by author Bernard MacLaverty, the film tells the story of Stella (Lesley Manville) and Gerry (Ciarán Hinds), a long-married couple who fled “the Troubles” in Belfast, Northern Ireland for the safety and security of a new life in Glasgow, Scotland, where they’ve now lived for many years. However, over time, their marriage has slowly and quietly eroded into a stale relationship. While they appear to still love one another, there’s not much else sustaining their increasingly tenuous connection. It’s a source of considerable concern for Stella, who wants greater fulfillment out of life, particularly on a spiritual level, a subject in which Gerry shows essentially no interest. But Stella isn’t ready to give up just yet; so, to try and restore the viability of their bond, she surprises Gerry with a Christmas gift in the form of a trip to Amsterdam, a journey that she sees as a chance for “an adventure” to help rejuvenate their marriage. But, as soon becomes apparent, Stella has another reason for making the trip, one aimed at satisfying her own personal curiosity and personal well-being but that also potentially places the future of the couple’s already-shaky relationship in jeopardy. The journey thus gives husband and wife pause to evaluate what may lie ahead for them, prompting deep questions about the nature and quality of their partnership, reconciling feelings about ghosts from their past, examining personal lifestyle choices, and taking stock of “big picture” perspectives on life and their respective places in the Universe. In turn, this inadvertent soul-searching exercise unearths some surprising revelations, especially when it comes to bursting long-held bubbles in their individual belief systems. Who would have thought that a simple getaway could raise so many issues with such pervasively profound implications? Nevertheless, such are the unexpected circumstances that Stella and Gerry find themselves in, leaving them to wonder whether they’ll be able to withstand their challenges and stay together or find themselves irrevocably changed. “Midwinter Break” employs a deftly constructed storytelling approach in addressing these questions, one that’s layered, nuanced and eminently thoughtful on many levels. It’s also the kind of picture that requires close, careful, engaged viewing; without that, audience members – like the protagonists themselves – might easily miss the forest for the trees, one of the chief objectives this picture seeks to help us overcome. This emerges through the carefully crafted writing and the superb performances of the two leads, both of whom are clearly at the top of their game here. It’s also a gorgeous cinematic showcase for the picturesque city that serves as the story’s backdrop but without turning into a veiled travelogue. Admittedly, there are some pacing issues early on and some occasionally awkward, overly “mechanical” sequences (again at the outset) as the film seeks to find a firm footing for itself. But one could argue that these shortcomings are reflective of the puzzling and unanticipated introspective process in which the principals are about to enter. Still, those looking to be fed by this release’s ample, meaningful subject matter will likely find themselves nicely satisfied by film’s end. This offering makes for perfect midwinter viewing, a picture that has come along at just the right time to provide us with our own restorative midwinter breaks, regardless of whether we’re talking in literal or metaphorical terms. And who knows what we might take away from the experience? It could prove life-changing – or not – depending on what we each need and what we get out of it ‒ much like life itself.