Nobody makes movies like Terence Davies. Between A Quite Passion and his latest film, Benediction, he has once again proven himself as a connoisseur of those who put pen to paper. Benediction is lean, sensitively directed, and features a lead performance from Jack Lowden that is both guarded and hungry. We rarely see men long for love this openly and unapologetically on screen.
Sigfried Sassoon was known as a War Poet, but his experience in the trenches of World War I clearly shook him to his core. Davies opens his film with black-and-white images of horror with Sassoon reciting his poetry on top of it. Lowden’s voice sometimes subtly buckles, as if he is remembering what he has seen. He is defiant in his expression as he bravely recounts his turmoil of experiencing combat. He also antiwar sentiments and believe he was practically tricked into fighting for his country. “I cannot be silent in the face of casualties…what I feel cannot be soothed in silence. Too many have died,” he says.
In his postwar life, Sassoon ran in social circles with a weight of melancholy. His mother is concerned about him, and his pacifism is look upon as a psychological issue. He is ordered to attend a hospital in Scotland where he becomes tethered to Wilfred Owen, another poet who comes alive when Sassoon is in his company. There is a tender scene where they playfully dance with one another–much to the dislike of superiors at the hospital. Tragedy befalls that friendship, and it clearly affects Sassoon’s life and memory.
When Jeremy Irvine arrives as composer Ivor Novello, we can see how Sassoon is turned off by his dismissal of others, even if Novello’s confidence and prowess lead to a very physical love affair. When Novello is on the scene, Sassoon is rendered almost silent or as an observer. There is a cruelty in how Novello revels in his own decadence, and we know how it can be disarming and dangerous at the same time.
Lowden’s performance is a marvel. You cannot help but wonder how Sassoon absorbs his surroundings and translates them to beautiful, poetic words, but his aching heart almost never leaves his physical presence. In scenes with Ben Daniels (as a sympathetic, gay doctor), he relaxes and seems more at ease, but he is obviously hurt by Novello’s flippancy towards Sassoon’s heart.
Benediction is respectfully handled, and beautifully directed. I truly don’t know how Davies captures the connection between brain and heart–I just can’t wait until we see it again.
Benediction is available to rent or purchase now.
