I've just read several of the reviews here and am surprised to see that only one has mentioned something major in the film which is that the character played by Saoirse Ronan was sexually abused by her father and this is what has caused the major conflict/situation that is the raison d'etre for what happens in the movie. The plot has been described many times so I won't go into it; suffice it to say that Saoirse's character is a very disturbed young woman and back in 1962 her issues were not being dealt with in a major or public way. If the movie (and book? which I haven't read) had gone into the sexual abuse more as well as exploring Saoirse's ambivalence about being a wife, I think it would have been better. Her character is barely explored and that is a shortcoming of the film. Especially since, as other reviewers have pointed out, not a whole lot "happens" in the film, the characterological and emotional issues should have been more emphasized.
Review of On Chesil Beach
