Midwinter Break 2026 Movie Review
My wife and I caught a screening of the Dutch film đŸ‡³đŸ‡± Midwinter Break (2026). The story follows an aging couple coming to terms with the emotional voids in their lives that were never fully addressed. The wife feels a religious calling she never pursued, while the husband struggles with self-worth and numbs it with alcohol. As they begin pulling in different directions, the question becomes whether their marriage can survive the shift.
The film is directed by Polly Findlay (Treasure Island) and stars Lesley Manville (Let Him Go) and CiarĂ¡n Hinds (The Rite).
The movie is extremely slow and dry. The writing is very bland and straightforward. That said, the acting is elite, and the nonverbal communication between the characters is exceptionally well executed. Manville and Hinds play off each other perfectly – their facial expressions and body language make their inner turmoil constantly visible.
There were a few sequences I genuinely enjoyed: the cake conversation, the intimate scene, the Anne Frank museum sequence, and the flashbacks to their life-altering moments were all strong. The drinking throughout the film is intense. However, the pacing drags significantly, with long stretches between meaningful developments. Some scenes felt underdeveloped – the Red Light District night could have gone further, the bar sequence involving the architectural/model conversation didn’t land as powerfully as intended, and the underlying reason for the vacation felt somewhat undermining. Even the cinematography during Hinds’ most dramatic close-ups occasionally felt slightly off.
In conclusion, Midwinter Break is a unique character study that struggles with pacing and narrative substance. I’d rate it a 5/10.
