Hope Gap

For the locality in South Australia, see Hope Gap, South Australia.

Hope Gap is a 2019 British drama film written and directed by William Nicholson, adapted from his 1999 play The Retreat from Moscow. The film stars Annette Bening, Bill Nighy, Josh O'Connor, Aiysha Hart, Ryan McKen, Steven Pacey and Nicholas Burns.

Hope Gap
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	William Nicholson
Screenplay by	William Nicholson
Based on	The Retreat from Moscow by William Nicholson
Produced by	Sarada McDermott David M. Thompson
Starring	Annette Bening Bill Nighy Josh O'Connor Aiysha Hart Ryan McKen Steven Pacey Nicholas Burns
Cinematography	Anna Valdez Hanks
Edited by	Pia Di Ciaula
Music by	Alex Heffes
Production companies	Origin Pictures Protagonist Pictures Screen Yorkshire Lipsync Sampsonic Media
Distributed by	Curzon Artificial Eye
Release dates	6 September 2019 (2019-09-06) (TIFF) 28 August 2020 (2020-08-28) (United Kingdom)
Running time	100 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Box office	$112,564[1][2]

Hope Gap had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on 6 September 2019 and was released in the United Kingdom on 28 August 2020 by Curzon Artificial Eye.

Premise

A family drama of the aftermath of a husband's revelation that he's leaving after 29 years of marriage.

Cast

• Annette Bening as Grace
• Bill Nighy as Edward
• Josh O'Connor as Jamie
• Aiysha Hart as Jess
• Ryan McKen as Dev
• Steven Pacey as Solicitor
• Nicholas Burns as Gary
• Rose Keegan as Receptionist
• Nicholas Blane as Priest
• Sally Rogers as Angela
• Liam Hadfield as Waiter

Production

The project was announced on October 31, 2017, with William Nicholson directing and writing the story, and Annette Bening and Bill Nighy cast to play the husband and wife at the centre of the film.^[3]

Pre-production began on June 11, 2018, with principal photography starting on July 10.^[4] Filming occurred in Seaford, Sussex.^[5]

Release

In May 2019, Roadside Attractions and Screen Media Films acquired US distribution rights to the film.^[6] It had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on 6 September 2019.^[7][8] It was released in the United States on 6 March 2020.^[1] It was released in the United Kingdom on 28 August 2020.^[9]

Reception

Box office

Hope Gap grossed $104,732 in the United States and Canada^[2] and $7,832 in other territories for a worldwide total of $112,564.^[1]

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 64% based on 90 reviews, with an average rating of 6.2/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Annette Bening and Bill Nighy are just about worth the price of admission, but Hope Gap lacks enough depth to really leave an impact."^[10] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 58 out of 100 based on 23 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".^[11]