Midwinter Break centres around a married couple – Stella (Lesley Manville – Cold Storage) and Gerry (Ciarán Hinds – Is This Thing On?) – who’ve run out of things to say to each other, but they don’t want to be alone.
However, since it’s generally told from her point of view, we get the feeling that he’s completely oblivious to her feelings, and is quite happy to just bumble along as things are. Still, as they pass Christmas, perhaps they can reawaken the spark in their marriage with… a Midwinter break to Amsterdam?
Personally, my first thought, when I go away, is try to immerse myself in the local culture, but for these two, instead of sipping some local lager, their first thought is to find an Irish pub and order some Guinness, making me wonder if either of the actors are actually Irish?
In reality, she’s from Brighton, and he IS from Belfast, although I didn’t get that feeling in the film.
As such, the accents just felt unnecessary, even though they’re supposed to both be born in his hometown, and growing up during the ‘troubles’, but that aspect of the film just felt tacked on, when there was enough going on in the film with the couple as they were.
To a lot of people, it may feel like there’s not much happening in this film, since it’s about reminiscing, looking back over problems in the past, and regretting some of life’s choices.
She feels her life isn’t enough, and starts to have thoughts about a different direction her life might take after bumping into a fellow Belfaster, Kathy (Niamh Cusack – Desperate Journey), who’s moved there permanently, while he’s a heavy drinker who just tries to hide the problem.
Accents aside, the acting is superb from both leads, and it’s a far more engaging 90 minutes than most films I’ve seen recently. Also, it’s great to see a film that can wrap everything up in such a short time. So many just ramble on for over two hours when they have no reason to do so.
Oh, and as an aside, typically, with my OCD, no-one takes their outdoor shoes off when they walk into a hotel room… where you’ll be walking about in your bare feet.
NOTE: There are no mid- nor post-credits scenes.
Midwinter Break is in cinemas now, and is available to pre-order on DVD.
You can also buy the book in paperback.
Detailed specs:
Cert: 
Running time: 90 minutes
Release date: March 20th 2026
Studio: Focus Features
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Cinema: Odeon Trafford Centre
Rating: 7.5/10
Director: Polly Findlay
Producers: Guy Heeley, Floor Onrust
Screenplay: Bernard MacLaverty, Nick Payne
Novel: Bernard MacLaverty
Music: Hannah Peel
Cast:
Stella: Lesley Manville
Gerry: Ciarán Hinds
Young Stella: Julie Lamberton
Young Gerry: Ed Sayer
Kathy: Niamh Cusack
Hennie: Leila Laaraj
Man in Bar: Tim Licata
Barman Aidan: Lewis Harris
Receptionist: Marco Horta Lopes
Barwoman: Elène Zuidmeer
Glasgow Priest: David Gallacher
Nurse Mavis: Vanashree Thapliyal
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.