Midwinter Break: In marriage, try a little tenderness

What happens in Amsterdam… affects every aspect of your life moving forward.

Directed by Polly Findlay, Midwinter Break tells the story of Gerry and Stella (Ciaran Hinds and Leslie Manville), an elderly couple who live a comfortable life in Ireland. But, after missing their children at Christmas, Stella surprises Gerry with an unexpected trip to Amsterdam. Thrilled at the opportunity to go on holiday without the burden of children, Gerry and Stella set off for adventure together. However, as the two empty-nesters spend time together, their trip begins to unearth shadows from their past, highlighting the ways that they’ve changed, even though things look the same.

There’s a tenderness in Midwinter that is undeniable. Known primarily for her work directing theatrical productions, Findlay manages to keep the film feeling small in the best of ways. This isn’t an action adventure or broad comedy with large set pieces. There are no (well, few) moments that turn the intensity up to 11. Instead, these are simply spaces in the life of a couple who are beginning to show the cracks in their lengthy marriage.

(L to R) Director Polly Findlay with actors Lesley Manville and Ciarán Hinds on the set of MIDWINTER BREAK, a Focus Features release.
Credit: Mark de Blok/Focus Features © 2026 All Rights Reserved.

They may be fictional characters but they feel entirely real.

In this spirit, Hinds and Manville have an ease about them that suggests connection, time and, above all else, intimacy. Each glance and unspoken word feels pregnant with history. They are gentle and loving together and yet… something isn’t quite right.

Disagreements are normal but the banter feels slightly more strained than expected. Stella speaks of miracles and changing her life and Gerry never entirely takes them seriously. Deeper questions of the soul are met with backhanded condemnation. Comments remain tender, but still condemning nonetheless. There’s an unspoken tension that appears to be driving a wedge between them and Hinds and Manville keep that pressure mostly hidden.

In short, their marriage is at a crossroads, whether they’re willing to admit it or not.

(L to R) Ciarán Hinds as “Gerry” and Lesley Manville as “Stella” in director Polly Findlay’s MIDWINTER BREAK.
Credit: Mark de Blok/Focus Features © 2026 All Rights Reserved.

As such, both Gerry and Stella are both drifting through individual journeys, even if they remain together on holiday. (“I suppose we’re lucky to have each other to ignore”, they claim.) Holding on to the intense grief of her past, Stella is on a drive for meaning, purpose and spiritual awakening. Struggling to make peace within her soul, there’s a restlessness about her that undercuts her ability to relax during their time in Amsterdam.

Meanwhile, Gerry remains in a state of unquenchable malaise. Sensing that his wife is looking for something other than what he’s able to give her, he finds himself increasingly isolated. Every drink is an opportunity to delay the frustrations that hold his heart with a tightened grip. To him, his world is fine and he struggles to understand what has changed to unsettle relationship. After all, he’s sat in the midst of trauma himself but seems to have been able to move forward.

In these roles, Findlay showcase the complexity of long-term loving relationships. Their children are adults with their own lives. They’ve done all the ‘right’ things and remain committed to one another. Even so, their lives feel incomplete or, what may be potentially worse, terrifyingly complete. In these moments, veterans Manville and Hinds breathe life into the film, keeping the focus upon the quiet distance between them.

And yet, even with the increasing division of their marriage, there’s a stability in their relationship. They aren’t (necessarily) breaking apart but they are evolving, especially at the hands of their individual grief. Findlay paints these moments of tenderness and the anxiety with a grace-filled brush, leaving safe spaces for her characters to grow and change. In doing so, Midwinter Break becomes a beautiful exploration of the realities of marriage when time begins to feel like its running out yet there’s still lots remaining.

Midwinter Break is available in theatres on Friday, February 20^th, 2026.