The past haunts an elderly Londoner in ‘Ending’
“The Sense of an Ending” is well-acted, understated and British to the core.
Based on Julian Barnes’ Man Booker Prizewinning novel, the film is about what happens when the past abruptly catches up with an aging Londoner. The target audience is no doubt on the mature side, but it would be a shame if younger viewers wrote it off.
The movie stands or falls (and I would say stands) on the central performance by Jim Broadbent as Tony Webster, a divorced man who lives by himself and runs a small shop selling used Leica cameras. He’s old-school without being a caricature — less than enchanted with modern ways, he can be a bit prickly but hasn’t descended into angry codgerhood.
He’s on good-enough terms with his ex-wife (Harriet Walker), and dotes on his pregnant daughter (Michelle Dockery) to the extent of accompanying her to birthing class (she’s a lesbian and plans to have the child on her own). Otherwise he’s just tiptoeing solo through his 70s.
These quiet waters will be roiled by the arrival of a letter informing him that a recently deceased old school friend has left him his diary. But there’s a twist: The woman who has the diary is reluctant to turn it over, which rankles Tony’s sense of propriety.
As Tony pursues “his” diary, we are treated to flashbacks, to which the film returns regularly, that acquaint us with his collegiate friendship with super-smart Adrian ( Joe Alwyn) and simultaneous pursuit of beautiful Veronica (Freya Mavor). There’s a love triangle; difficulties follow; and Tony does something rash.
The story’s emotional heart is the re-emergence of Veronica (now played by Charlotte Rampling) in septuagenarian Tony’s life. She is remote, something of a mystery, but it’s through her that Tony begins to ponder past matters that he would otherwise rather leave alone. The film is in part a meditation on selective memory.
Broadbent and Rampling’s scenes together are quite compelling; and one of the movie’s chief pleasures is watching these two veterans at work. Screenwriter Nick Payne hits the right notes, allowing Tony to come to grips with hard truths without undue histrionics.
Also following the path of restraint is Indian-born director Ritesh Batra, whose first feature, “The Lunchbox” (2013), was well received. His work here is self-effacing, letting the actors and script do the heavy lifting. If there’s anything negative to be said, it’s that the whole affair is possibly too well-mannered — you might yearn for a little more bite.
But as it is, the film still offers decent rewards for the patient viewer.