On Chesil Beach (film)

On Chesil Beach
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDominic Cooke
Screenplay byIan McEwan
Based onOn Chesil Beach
by Ian McEwan
Produced by
Starring
CinematographySean Bobbitt
Edited byNick Fenton
Music byDan Jones
Production
companies
Distributed byLionsgate
Release dates
  • 7 September 2017 (2017-09-07) (TIFF)
  • 18 May 2018 (2018-05-18) (United Kingdom)
Running time
110 minutes
Country
  • United Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Box office$3.4 million

On Chesil Beach is a 2017 British drama film directed by Dominic Cooke (in his feature directorial debut) and written by Ian McEwan, who adapted his own 2007 Booker Prize-nominated novella of the same name. It stars Saoirse Ronan and Billy Howle and tells the story of virgins, Florence and Edward, and their first disastrous attempt at having sex on their wedding night. The initial experience and their differing responses to the failure have lifelong consequences for both.

The film had its world premiere in the Special Presentations section at the Toronto International Film Festival on 7 September 2017, and was released in the United States and United Kingdom in May 2018.