Terence Davies’ “Benediction” Gets Emotional Trailer

After a surge recently, another biopic or World War I film could easily get lost in the shuffle. But Terence Davies' closely observed character studies always stand out.

The director of such British classics as Distant Voices, Still Lives and The Long Day Closes often takes a long time between projects, but finds acclaim no matter the source material or cast. His latest is a biography of poet Siegfried Sassoon, with Jack Lowden and Peter Capaldi sharing the portrayal. Lowden takes on the years immediately after the Great War as Sassoon tried to find himself while carrying on affairs with men and women. Capaldi plays against type as the wistful older man. Among the supporting cast are Simon Russell Beale, Jeremy Irvine and Kate Phillips. The film earned excellent reviews when it screened at last year's Toronto International Film Festival.

Benediction opens in limited release on June 3.

About Kip Mooney

Like many film critics born during and after the 1980s, my hero is Roger Ebert. The man was already the best critic in the nation when he won the Pulitzer in 1975, but his indomitable spirit during and after his recent battle with cancer keeps me coming back to read not only his reviews but his insightful commentary on the everyday. But enough about a guy you know a lot about. I knew I was going to be a film critic—some would say a snob—in middle school, when I had to voraciously defend my position that The Royal Tenenbaums was only a million times better than Adam Sandler’s remake of Mr. Deeds. From then on, I would seek out Wes Anderson’s films and avoid Sandler’s like the plague. Still, I like to think of myself as a populist, and I’ll be just as likely to see the next superhero movie as the next Sundance sensation. The thing I most deplore in a movie is laziness. I’d much rather see movies with big ambitions try and fail than movies with no ambitions succeed at simply existing. I’m also a big advocate of fun-bad movies like The Room and most of Nicolas Cage’s work. In the past, I’ve written for The Dallas Morning News and the North Texas Daily, which I edited for a semester. I also contributed to Dallas-based Pegasus News, which in the circle of life, is now part of The Dallas Morning News, where I got my big break in 2007. Eventually, I’d love to write and talk about film full-time, but until that’s a viable career option, I work as an auditor for Wells Fargo. I hope to one day meet my hero, go to the Toronto International Film Festival, and compete on Jeopardy. Until then, I’m excited to share my love of film with you.