This is a small-scale, intimate film about a couple who have lived through trauma and are now approaching old age, questioning what, if anything, still lies ahead for them. That sense of reflection is particularly evident in Lesley Manville’s character, Stella, who carries the weight of a traumatic episode from her time in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. Decades later, she feels compelled to honour a promise she once made – something that has the flavour of a Graham Greene-like miracle, reminiscent of ‘The End of the Affair’.

The narrative centres on a short trip to Amsterdam. On the surface, Stella and her husband Gerry (Ciarán Hinds), appear to be a contented, affectionate couple. Yet gradually it becomes clear that Stella has deeper motivations for the journey, sensing a calling that draws her closer to faith and, perhaps, further away from her husband. Much of the film unfolds in hotel rooms, airport bars and quiet corners of the city, and this restrained, everyday setting suits the story perfectly.

What truly defines the film are the silences – the pauses between conversations that reveal the emotional, spiritual and religious distance between the two. Much of what we see is ordinary and prosaic: sitting, drinking, eating, passing time. Yet beneath this lies a growing chasm. Gerry is more secular, while Stella’s identity is increasingly shaped by prayer and the possibility of spiritual renewal. They have shared a life and endured hardship together, yet there is a sense that they may not fully understand each other after all.

The film raises thoughtful questions about what constitutes a miracle – and whether such moments are found not in grand gestures but in the quiet rhythms of everyday life. It moves at a very gentle pace, at times almost to the point of feeling listless, but that same restraint is also what gives it its emotional authenticity and lingering impact.