Benediction

Synopsis

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.
Official Selection Toronto International Film Festival 2021 - Special Presentations - World premiere
Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2021 - Special Presentation

Details

Year

2021

Type of film

Features

Running Time

137 min

Director

Terence Davies

Producer

Michael Elliott

Editor

Alex Mackie

Screenwriter

Terence Davies

Director of Photography

Nicola Daley

Production Designer

Andy Harris

Principal Cast

Jack Lowden, Peter Capaldi, Simon Russell Beale, Jeremy Irvine, Joanna Bacon, Thom Ashley

Genre

• Drama

Production status

Complete

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Last updated 27th August 2021