--- title: "Brief Encounter: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/brief-encounter/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/brief-encounter" critics_score: 92 critics_reviews: 7 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Brief Encounter (1945): what the critics said Critics' score 92 from 7 reviews: 7 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative. The reviews agree that Brief Encounter draws its emotional force from ordinary people trying to contain feelings they cannot comfortably accommodate. Praise centres on the believable development of the romance, the decency of its characters and the precise depiction of middle-class life. Celia Johnson receives particular attention for making private distress so affecting, with Trevor Howard also praised. Critics consistently find that the restraint intensifies the love story rather than keeping it at a distance. Differences are chiefly matters of emphasis, with the supplied reviews uniformly positive. Some concentrate on self-sacrifice and repression; others find a suggestion that happiness deserves to be seized. The AV Club particularly values the way repeated scenes acquire new meaning and the occasional disruption of visual composure. Reservations are scarce: The New Yorker admires the quiet, sympathetic storytelling but finds the film slightly longer than it needs to be. ## Little White Lies — Sophie Monks Kaufman Rating 5/5/5. 5 November 2015. The critic calls it a majestic masterpiece and a high peak of screen romance. She singles out the purity of the storytelling and the moral depth of the characters' decency amid overwhelming urges. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/brief-encounter-1945) ## Radio Times — David Parkinson Rating 5/5. This is one of the finest films ever made in Britain. The critic singles out the sheer ordinariness of the leads and the special quality given to their stolen moments by the husband's decent dullness. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-mgek7l/brief-encounter/) ## Time Out — Tom Huddleston Rating 5/5. 2 November 2015. It is one of the most emotionally devastating movies of all time. The critic singles out the vivid, impassioned and painfully believable love story as well as its affectionate nudge to the British bourgeoisie about seizing happiness. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/brief-encounter) ## The AV Club — Mike D'Angelo Rating A. 23 April 2016. The critic calls it a masterpiece of British restraint and repression that exquisitely realizes the gradual process of two people falling in love. The review singles out the structural gambit of recontextualized scenes and occasional formal flourishes like a disorienting camera tilt. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/more-than-70-years-later-brief-encounter-remains-inten-1798187494) ## Evening Standard Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 11 April 2012. The critic praises the film as one of the most effective and touching romances in cinema history. They single out the magnificent performances of Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard alongside the deliberate reticence in the central relationship. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/brief-encounter-7231969.html) ## Slant Magazine — Clayton Dillard Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 29 April 2016. The critic praises the film for penetrating Laura's inner psychological life and transforming her personal anxieties into a broader commentary on cultural normalcy. It highlights the contrast with Todd Haynes' Carol and commends the 4K restoration. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/brief-encounter/) ## Empire — Caroline Westbrook Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2009. The film is a moving account of an impossible, unconsummated love affair between two married people in middle-class England. It excels in its realistic portrayal of provincial suburban life and Celia Johnson's performance. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/brief-encounter-review/) ## Sight and Sound 4 November 2015. The critic praises David Lean’s 1945 film as timeless and emotionally resonant despite its classic status, highlighting its portrayal of middle-class restraint and longing in a way that still moves audiences today. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/brief-encounter-return-ticket-temptation) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw 5 November 2015. The critic calls this a masterpiece of romantic cinema and a wonderful film. He praises its portrayal of self-sacrifice and the tragic grandeur conferred on the central couple by their renounced feelings. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/nov/05/brief-encounter-review-70th-anniversary) ## The New Yorker — John McNulty 31 August 1946. The review describes the film as tender, touching, and effectively quiet, balancing another loud picture in theaters. It notes the simple story sympathetically told, with Celia Johnson's understanding performance, and calls it a delicate delight despite being not quite as brief as it should be. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1946/09/07/1946-09-07-048-tny-cards-000019340) ## The New York Times — Bosley Crowther 26 August 1946. The film is an uncommonly good little picture and an intimate drama limited to the poignant romance of a married woman and a married man. Under David Lean's fluid direction, Celia Johnson gives a consuming performance as the emotionally shaken lady. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1946/08/26/archives/the-screen-in-review.html) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/brief-encounter.md