"Brilliant" mystery drama with Downton Abbey stars lands new UK streaming home

A mystery drama hailed as "consistently gripping" and "compelling" is now streaming in the UK. Starring Jim Broadbent and Freya Mavor, The Sense of an Ending follows elderly divorcé Anthony 'Tony' Webster (Broadbent) who lives an increasingly reclusive life while running a London camera shop.

One day, he receives a letter from the estate of Sarah Ford, the mother of his university girlfriend, Veronica (Mavor).

He discovers that she left in her will a diary kept by his best friend, who dated Veronica after she and Tony parted ways.

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Based on the 2011 novel of the same name by Julian Barnes, the story is told through Tony's memories and those of his friends, exploring how selective memory can warp the truth and our recollection of the past.

The cast also includes Downton Abbey's Michelle Dockery and Matthew Goode, as well as The Night Porter's Charlotte Rampling, Silo's Harriet Walter, On Chesil Beach's Billy Howle, and Match Point's Emily Mortimer.

Intrigued? You can now watch The Sense of an Ending on StudioCanal Presents now, available as a channel on Prime Video. New subscribers can bag themselves a seven-day free trial when they sign up to StudioCanal Presents, after which it costs £4.99 per month.

The Sense of an Ending received positive reviews at the time of its release, holding a 75% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

The critics' consensus reads: "Anchored by a strong starring performance by Jim Broadbent, The Sense of an Ending proves consistently gripping even as it skims the narrative surface of its literary source material."

In their review, The Independent wrote: "What begins as a nostalgic and humdrum family drama grows more and more compelling the darker it becomes."

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Empire added: "A handsome and well-acted rumination on memory, boyhood and ageing that sees Ritesh Batra deliver a solid rather than inspired interpretation of Julian Barnes' prize winner."

Reader's Digest hailed the film as "brilliant", while the Toronto Star thought the adaptation was "compelling".

Vanity Fair thought: "Director Ritesh Batra (best known for The Lunchbox) does a remarkable job of making the movie's mystery seem much more transgressive than it is, and he is aided by an outstanding performance from Jim Broadbent."

Meanwhile, The Hollywood Reporter summarised: "Julian Barnes' short, penetrating novel about how we self-protectively edit our memories receives an intelligent, low-key, necessarily diluted big-screen treatment in The Sense of an Ending."

The Sense of an Ending is now streaming on StudioCanal Presents via Prime Video.

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Freelance Reporter, Digital Spy Rebecca is a freelance journalist who specializes in TV and film. After beginning her career as a digital entertainment journalist for the Express & Star and Shropshire Star, she embarked on a freelance career in 2021 contributing to the likes of Metro UK, The Sun, WhatCulture, Screen Rant, FilmHounds Magazine and more. Her particular field of interest is horror cinema and she has written for genre publications such as Ghouls Magazine and Moving Pictures Film Club. LinkedIn