Movie: Hope Gap

Director: William Nicholson

Year: 2019

I was looking for some depth in tonight’s movie, and came across Hope Gap, starring Annette Bening, and it didn’t disappoint. If you are looking for a movie that makes you look inside and reconcile some buried past, this movie is full of deep-thinking moments. If you are looking for an escape, a laugh, or the booms of action, look elsewhere.

The opening is melancholic and sets the tone for the rest of the films content. It’s scenic seaside vistas and lilting piano set a somber tone that is peaceful and calming.

The story centers on a husband who leaves his shrewish wife, and sets opens wounds both new and old. Grace and Edward have been married 29 years, so there is a lot of history, but none of which we learn. This film stays in the present, with the exception of some memories their son, Jamie, has about when he was a child. Edward is a benign high school teacher who endures the ball-busting of Grace, till he doesn’t. Grace has a poet’s soul so her actions spring forth from the wells of her mind. I wanted to feel sorry for her, but mostly just found her to be irritating. Based on director William Nicolson’s experience, I felt sorry for him, but there is catharsis, and these things are what make the movie worth seeing. Hope Gap is a place you can walk to, or it’s a place your heart can find itself.