Benediction

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2:09

Benediction

PG-13

2022

2h 17m

Biography

History

Drama

War

LGBTQ+

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Popcornmeter

91%

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154 Reviews

65%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Verified Ratings

Written and directed by acclaimed filmmaker Terence Davies, Benediction explores the turbulent life of WWI poet Siegfried Sassoon (Jack Lowden). The writer and soldier was a complex man who survived the horrors of fighting in the First World War and was decorated for his bravery but who became a vocal critic of the government's continuation of the war when he returned from service. His poetry was inspired by his experiences on the Western Front, and he became one of the leading war poets of the era. Adored by members of the aristocracy as well as stars of London's literary and stage world, he embarked on affairs with several men as he attempted to come to terms with his homosexuality. At the same time, broken by the horror of war, he made his life's journey a quest for salvation, trying to find it within the conformity of marriage and religion.

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Critics Consensus

It isn't an easy watch, but Benediction uncovers a profoundly affecting drama in the real-life story of a combat veteran whose poetry warned against the horrors of war.

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Christina Newland

iNews.co.uk

Sep 18, 2024

3/5

For a film-maker as wonderful as Davies, Benediction is a missed opportunity.

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Alissa Wilkinson

Vox

Aug 5, 2022

There is no happy-go-lucky ending here, only the sense that an ineffable longing we have, to know and be known, is so precious and rare that most of us never find its fulfillment here on Earth.

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David Sims

The Atlantic

Aug 3, 2022

Davies is a remarkably empathetic filmmaker, attuned to his characters’ subtlest moods and intent on equally depicting their joys, hardships, and mundane middle grounds.

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Christos Tsiolkas

The Saturday Paper

Aug 21, 2026

I felt nothing: Davies’ busy imagery obfuscates the poem’s power. He’s the wrong director for this film. He doesn’t the trust the poets.

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CJ Sheu

The News Lens International

Sep 6, 2024

Transcendent performances and visionary direction make for a numinous final film by Terence Davies.

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William Stottor

Loud and Clear Reviews

Jul 18, 2024

3/5

Often poignant but frequently disjointed, Benediction is a scattered portrait of First World War poet Siegfried Sassoon, juggling themes of homosexuality, war and religion.

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David P

Jun 20, 2022

A profoundly moving character study.

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Jon B

Jun 15, 2022

The movie was done very tastefully. I thought it started off a bit slow, but, I guess they had to set the scene.

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Google

Jun 13, 2022

This was an incredibly slow movie. I have never felt a WWI-related movie (of which I have seen many) was done so badly. The jumping back and forth in time wasn't well-used either. Pick a topic related to Sassoon and stick with it. Argh.

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Joe

Jun 5, 2022

No idea what I just watched. Save yourself and run.

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anneliese

Jun 4, 2022

Long, boring story of a talented man who was drawn to all kind of gay men, but the one he wanted most thru his whole life was unfaithful, unkind, and arrogantly evil. Why the heck couldn’t he choose one of the guys who was morale, loving, and faithful, like he claimed to be? Utterly hopeless and depressing movie!

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R Victor B

Jun 4, 2022

This is a beautifully made movie the weaving of the poetry and the contemporary films of the horrors of the Great War, World War I, work wonderfully to make a moving story of a man and his iconoclastic life. The acting is superb, and the young man/old man juxtaposition works so much better than in most similar situations.

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Terence Davies

Director

Jack Lowden

Young Siegfried Sassoon

Peter Capaldi

Siegfried Sassoon

Simon Russell Beale

Robbie Ross

Jeremy Irvine

Ivor Novello

Calam Lynch

Stephen Tennant

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Synopsis

Written and directed by acclaimed filmmaker Terence Davies, Benediction explores the turbulent life of WWI poet Siegfried Sassoon (Jack Lowden). The writer and soldier was a complex man who survived the horrors of fighting in the First World War and was decorated for his bravery but who became a vocal critic of the government's continuation of the war when he returned from service. His poetry was inspired by his experiences on the Western Front, and he became one of the leading war poets of the era. Adored by members of the aristocracy as well as stars of London's literary and stage world, he embarked on affairs with several men as he attempted to come to terms with his homosexuality. At the same time, broken by the horror of war, he made his life's journey a quest for salvation, trying to find it within the conformity of marriage and religion.

Director: Terence Davies
Producer: Michael Elliott
Screenwriter: Terence Davies
Distributor: Roadside Attractions
Production Co: M.Y.R.A. Entertainment, Creative England, British Film Institute, BBC Films, Lipsync Productions, EMU Films
Rating: PG-13 (Thematic Elements|Some Sexual Material|Disturbing War Images)
Genre: Biography, History, Drama, War, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 3, 2022, Limited
Box Office (Gross USA): $201.1K
Runtime: 2h 17m

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