Jim Broadbent Stars in ‘The Sense of an Ending’

Jim Broadbent is known to Harry Potter fans as Professor Slughorn, a character who, other than providing a key piece of information on some particularly abhorrent dark magic (the horcrux), turns out to be rather innocuous compared to his Hogwarts colleagues.

Slughorn (Broadbent) goes about his trifling efforts to ‘collect’ students and build up his own connections without much thought to who they are beyond what they can offer. He’s not unkind or incompetent, but he is most assuredly self-involved. His character in the upcoming The Sense of an Ending suffers from the same affliction.

Broadbent plays Tony Webster, a divorced gentleman who becomes obsessed with his past when secrets come back to haunt him. He struggles to sort out decisions made long ago, and their consequences, which sends him into ever-intensifying self-absorption. He goes so far as to stalk an old girlfriend, who has long-since forgotten him, in an attempt to seek resolution. But the harder he tries to make sense of it all, the more evident it becomes that his imperfect recollections will never allow him either clarity or closure.

A Variety review describes the film:

“Like a male-centric counterpart to Iain McEwan’s ‘Atonement,’ Tony’s journey offers a poignant commentary on how each of us attempts to make meaning of our lives, distorting memories and destroying documentation to suit agendas we can’t entirely rationalize. It’s a fundamental human impulse to seek meaning in things, and yet, as Tony ultimately realizes, the corollary to the butterfly effect — where the smallest incident can have a seismic impact on other people’s lives — is admitting that sometimes we’ve left absolutely no impression at all.”

The Sense of an Ending is Indian director Ritesh Batra’s English-language debut. The film was adapted by playwright Nick Payne from Julian Barnes’ 2011 novel. Broadbent is joined by a star-studded ensemble cast including Harriet Walter, Michelle Dockery, Emily Mortimer, Billy Freya Mavor, Matthew Goode, and Charlotte Rampling. The film is set to open in limited U.S. release March 10th. It opens in UK theaters April 14th.

To view other photos from the film, go to the We Are Movie Geeks article here. For the full Variety review, read here.

View the trailer below!