Taglines: Love is never still.
Benediction explores the turbulent life of First World War poet, Siegfried Sassoon, through the eyes of the revered filmmaker Terence Davies. Sassoon was a complex man who survived the horrors of fighting in the First World War and was decorated for his bravery but who became a vocal critic of the government’s continuation of the war when he returned from service.
His poetry was inspired by his experiences on the Western Front and he became one of the leading war poets of the era. Adored by members of the aristocracy as well as stars of London’s literary and stage world, he embarked on affairs with several men as he attempted to come to terms with his homosexuality.
At the same time, broken by the horror of war, he made his life’s journey a quest for salvation, trying to find it within the conformity of marriage and religion. His story is one of a troubled man in a fractured world searching for peace and self-acceptance, something which speaks as meaningfully to the modern world as it did then.
Benediction is a biographical 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, Calam Lynch, Tom Blyth, Kate Phillips, Geraldine James, Gemma Jones, Ben Daniels, Lia Williams and Suzanne Bertish.
Benediction had its world premiere as a Special Presentation at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival on September 12. That same month, the film’s UK and Ireland distribution rights were acquired by Vertigo Films. In October 2021, Roadside Attractions acquired North American distribution rights to the film. It was released in United Kingdom on May 20, 2022 by Vertigo Films and United States on June 3, 2022 by Roadside Attractions.
Benediction (2022)
Directed by: Terence Davies
Starring: Jack Lowden, Peter Capaldi, Simon Russell Beale, Jeremy Irvine, Calam Lynch, Tom Blyth, Kate Phillips, Geraldine James, Gemma Jones, Ben Daniels, Lia Williams, Suzanne Bertish
Screenplay by: Terence Davies
Production Design by: Andy Harris
Cinematography by: Nicola Daley
Film Editing by: Alex Mackie
Costume Design by: Annie Symons
Set Decoration by: Alison Harvey
Art Direction by: Adam Tomlinson
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for disturbing war images, some sexual material and thematic elements.
Distributed by: Roadside Attractions (United States), Vertigo Films (United Kingdom)
Release Date: September 12, 2021 (TIFF), May 20, 2022 (United Kingdom), June 3, 2022 (United States)
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