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Benediction (film)

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Benediction
Theatrical release poster
Directed byTerence Davies
Written byTerence Davies
Produced byMichael Elliott
Starring
CinematographyNicola Daley
Edited byAlex Mackie
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 12 September 2021 (2021-09-12) (TIFF)[1]
  • 20 May 2022 (2022-05-20) (United Kingdom)
  • 3 June 2022 (2022-06-03) (United States)
Running time
137 minutes [2]
Countries
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
Budget£5 million[3]
Box office$848,834[4][5]

Benediction is a 2021 biographical romantic drama film written and directed by Terence Davies. It stars Jack Lowden and Peter Capaldi as the war poet Siegfried Sassoon, along with Simon Russell Beale, Jeremy Irvine, Kate Phillips, Gemma Jones, and Ben Daniels. It was released in United Kingdom on 20 May 2022 by Vertigo Releasing and United States on 3 June 2022 by Roadside Attractions. It was Davies' final film before his death in October 2023.[6]

Synopsis

The film follows the life of Siegfried Sassoon, a British poet and decorated World War I combat veteran who was sent to a psychiatric facility for his anti-war stance. He had love affairs with several men during the 1920s, married, had a son, and converted to Catholicism.

Cast

Production

In January 2020, Jack Lowden joined the cast of the film, with Terence Davies directing from a screenplay he had written.[7] In March 2020, Peter Capaldi joined the cast of the film.[8][9][10] Principal photography began on 8 September 2020,[11][12][13] and finished on 22 October 2020.[14][15]

Release

Benediction had its world premiere as a Special Presentation at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival on 12 September.[16] That same month, the film's UK and Ireland distribution rights were acquired by Vertigo Films.[17] In October 2021, Roadside Attractions acquired North American distribution rights to the film.[18] It was released in United Kingdom on 20 May 2022 and United States on 3 June 2022.

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, Benediction has an approval rating of 93% based on 149 reviews, with an average rating of 7.7/10. The site's consensus reads, "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."[19] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 81 out of 100 based on 32 critic reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[20] The IndieWire Critics Poll of 165 critics named it the 13th best film released in 2022.[21]

In response to the film's portrayal of Sassoon's conversion to Catholicism, the poet's niece, Sister Jessica Gatty (who attributes her own conversion to Sassoon's influence), repudiated the filmmakers by revealing that he had been both at peace and joyful in his later years, stating: "The redemption which he sought in many different ways and which he longed for, was found in the last decade of his life when he came home to Christ in the Catholic Church. He was transformed. I can witness to this, so I need to speak out."[22][23]

See also

References

  1. ^ Pearce, Leonard (23 June 2021). "First TIFF 2021 Selections Include Dune, Benediction, Last Night in Soho & More". The Film Stage. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  2. ^ "Benediction". Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  3. ^ "Director Terence Davies on his latest movie, Benediction". digitaltrends.com. 7 June 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  4. ^ "Benediction (2022) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  5. ^ "Benediction (2022)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  6. ^ "Terence Davies: Screenwriter and film director dies aged 77". BBC News. 7 October 2023. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  7. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (17 January 2020). "Jack Lowden To Star As WWI Poet Siegfried Sassoon In Terence Davies Biopic 'Benediction'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  8. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (27 March 2020). "Coping With COVID-19 Crisis: Director Terence Davies & Producer Mike Elliott On Halting Long-Gestating Movie 'Benediction' Days Before Shoot". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  9. ^ Terence Davies’ WWI Drama ‘Benediction’ Wraps Shoot With Geraldine James, Jeremy Irvine, Simon Russell Beale Among Joiners; First Look At Jack Lowden Pic
  10. ^ Chandry, Roshan (23 February 2021). "Tom Blyth on His Journey from the TV Workshop to HBO's The Gilded Age". Left Lion.
  11. ^ Daley, Nicola (8 September 2020). "So exciting to be up and shooting again with the amazing Terence Davies". Instagram. Archived from the original on 25 December 2021. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  12. ^ Lowden, Jack (17 September 2020). "Hello Siggy". Instagram. Archived from the original on 25 December 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  13. ^ Mullen, Enda (11 October 2020). "Why a Doctor Who star was shooting with film crews in Leamington this week". Coventry Telegraph. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  14. ^ Daley, Nicola (23 October 2020). "That's a wrap on 'Benediction' after a 7 week shoot". Instagram. Archived from the original on 25 December 2021. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  15. ^ M.Y.R.A. Entertainment (24 October 2020). "It's a wrap on #terencedavies's new feature film, #benediction". Twitter. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  16. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (20 July 2021). "Toronto Film Festival Lineup Adds 'Dear Evan Hansen,' 'The Eyes of Tammy Faye' and 'Clifford the Big Red Dog'". Variety. Archived from the original on 20 July 2021. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  17. ^ Rosser, Michael (6 September 2021). "Terence Davies' Siegfried Sassoon drama 'Benediction' sells to UK, Ireland, ANZ (exclusive)". Screen International. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  18. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (15 October 2021). "Terence Davies Drama 'Benediction', Starring Jack Lowden, Snapped Up By Roadside Attractions For North America". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  19. ^ "Benediction (2021)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  20. ^ "Benediction Reviews - Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  21. ^ Foreman, Alison (14 December 2022). "The 50 Best Movies of 2022, According to 165 Critics from Around the World". IndieWire. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  22. ^ "Siegfried Sassoon's niece hits out at biopic over misrepresentation of poet's Catholic faith". Catholic Herald. 3 July 2022. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  23. ^ Caldwell, Simon (3 July 2022). "Siegfried Sassoon's niece hits out at biopic over misrepresentation of poet's Catholic faith". Catholic Herald. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
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