Midwinter Break

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2:12

Midwinter Break

PG-13

Feb 2026

1h 30m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

62%

Tomatometer

45 Reviews

43%

Popcornmeter

50+ Verified Ratings

MIDWINTER BREAK is a stirring meditation on faith, commitment, and the enduring power of love, as a longtime couple takes a life-changing trip to Amsterdam.

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Critics Consensus

While Ciarán Hinds and Lesley Manville are characteristically terrific playing off each other, this rumination on love and spirituality is so restrained that it veers into tedium.

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Donald Clarke

Irish Times

3d

3.5/5

Hinds and Manville skilfully convey a relationship founded on the most fragile of intertwining insecurities. We get a sense that both understand the evasions they are making and accept them for fear of bringing the whole structure down upon their heads.

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Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

4d

5/5

There is often something soft and fuzzy and depressing in the wrong way about these films’ lenient sunset-sentimentalism -- but not so with Polly Findlay’s fiercely sad, spiky and wonderfully acted film.

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Keith Uhlich

(All (Parentheses)) (Substack)

Feb 27

Feature-debuting theater director Polly Findlay keeps things gentle and dutiful, with even the should-be-revelatory scenes (Manville’s teary to-a-stranger confessional, particularly) curdled by senescent sentiment.

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Brian Viner

Daily Mail (UK)

12h

3/5

Polly Findlay's film, adapted from Bernard MacLaverty's novel, is beautifully observed and exquisitely acted, but undeniably slow.

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Dulcie Pearce

The Sun (UK)

3d

3/5

Based on a 2017 novel by Bernard MacLaverty, the pace is slow. But Manville’s Stella is a masterclass in gentle understatement as flashbacks lead us to understand more about her increasingly devout Catholic faith.

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Harry Guerin

RTÉ (Ireland)

3d

4/5

...Midwinter Break is billed as "a stirring meditation on faith, commitment, and the enduring power of love". It delivers all that, and will leave fans...wishing that Manville and Hinds would make a film together every year.

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Anita K

Mar 7

Slow moving and most boring!

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Bob G

Mar 4

not terrible not great.

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Randle

Mar 2

Very slow. Good characters and acting. Plot twist is underwhelming.

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Mike

Mar 1

Slow, but that's on purpose. It's a very small movie, about two people who are trying to navigate their lives. I'm glad I saw it, and now want to read the book.

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Mindy

Mar 1

It was a very slow, dark and sad movie. We didn’t like it at all.

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Patti

Feb 28

Depressing from start to finish !!!

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Polly Findlay

Director

Lesley Manville

Stella

Ciarán Hinds

Gerry

Niamh Cusack

Kathy

Leila Laaraj

Hennie

Julie Lamberton

Young Stella

Midwinter Break: Movie Clip - You've Outdone Yourself

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Midwinter Break: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

MIDWINTER BREAK is a stirring meditation on faith, commitment, and the enduring power of love, as a longtime couple takes a life-changing trip to Amsterdam.

Director: Polly Findlay
Producer: Guy Heeley, Floor Onrust
Screenwriter: Bernard MacLaverty, Nick Payne
Distributor: Focus Features
Production Co: Shoebox Films, Film4
Rating: PG-13 (Some Strong Language|Bloody Images|Alcoholism|Suggestive Material|Thematic Material)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 20, 2026, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 10, 2026
Box Office (Gross USA): $506.8K
Runtime: 1h 30m

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