A vacation in Amsterdam shakes up the decades-long relationship and explores themes of faith, commitment and love.
In Midwinter Break Academy Award® nominees Lesley Manville and Ciarán Hinds play a retired couple who’ve been together for decades and decide to upend their routine in Glasgow by taking a trip to Amsterdam. Arriving in the new city, they explore the sights and canal-side streets, but faced with a new environment, the location reveals the growing distance between them.
A central theme of the film is a shocking event from decades prior that still haunts them to this day. Working through themes of trauma, devotion, and faith, the movie explores how two deeply in love people try to keep their marriage together. Based on the acclaimed novel by Bernard MacLaverty, this is director Polly Findlay’s first feature.
We spoke to Manville and Hinds about why the trip causes so much turmoil between the pair, how director Findlay’s theatrical background influences the pace and direction of Midwinter Break, and their experience shooting in Amsterdam.