Plot
Grace and Edward have been married for 29 years and live in a seaside home in Seaford, Sussex, near the cliffs of Hope Gap. Their relationship is strained; Grace is devout, literary, and emotionally demanding, often expressing her dissatisfaction with Edward’s passivity. Edward, a high school history teacher, is withdrawn and unhappy, retreating into silence to avoid conflict. Their adult son, Jamie, travels from London to visit them for the weekend at Edward’s request. Upon his arrival, Edward privately confesses to Jamie that he intends to leave Grace the following day. He reveals that he has fallen in love with Angela, the mother of a former student, and they have been seeing each other for a year. Jamie is devastated but agrees not to warn his mother. The next day, while Grace is at church, Edward packs his bags. When she returns, he breaks the news. Grace is blindsided and initially refuses to accept the situation, believing it to be a marital dispute rather than a final decision. Edward insists that there is no hope for reconciliation and leaves to live with Angela. In the weeks that follow, Grace oscillates between denial, rage, and deep depression. She refuses to sign divorce papers and attempts to manipulate Edward into returning, at one point impulsively acquiring a puppy which she cannot care for. Jamie is frequently called back to Seaford to mediate, finding himself trapped between his mother's volatility and his father's refusal to communicate. Grace eventually tracks down Angela's home and confronts the couple, but the encounter only solidifies Edward's decision. Angela tells Grace that prior to the separation there were three unhappy people, but now there is only one. Struggling to find meaning, Grace contemplates suicide at the cliffs of Hope Gap. She is stopped by the thought of the lasting trauma it would inflict on Jamie. Slowly, she begins to rebuild her life, finding a sense of purpose by volunteering at a telephone crisis helpline, where she uses her own experience of grief to help others. Some time later, the family reunites for a final meeting to formalize the divorce. The atmosphere is calm. Grace informs Edward that she is no longer unhappy, but simply "getting there." She gives Edward a copy of the poetry anthology she has been compiling. The film concludes with Jamie walking alone on the cliffs, accompanied by Grace’s voiceover reflecting on "Hope Gap"— the space between the life one hopes for and the reality one must endure.
Production
The project was announced on October 31, 2017, with William Nicholson directing and writing the story, and Annette Bening and Bill Nighy cast to play the husband and wife at the centre of the film. [2]
Pre-production began on June 11, 2018, with principal photography starting on July 10. [3] Filming occurred in Seaford, Sussex. [4]
This page is based on this
Wikipedia article Text is available under the
CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
