Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily Entertainment GuideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsCannes Film FestivalStar WarsAsian Pacific American Heritage MonthSummer Watch GuideSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

Allelujah

  • 2022
  • 1h 39m
IMDb RATING
6.0/10
2K
YOUR RATING
Judi Dench, Derek Jacobi, David Bradley, Jennifer Saunders, Russell Tovey, Jesse Akele, and Bally Gill in Allelujah (2022)
The story of a geriatric ward in a small Yorkshire hospital threatened with closure.
Play trailer2:18
1 Video
21 Photos
Drama

The story of a geriatric ward in a small Yorkshire hospital threatened with closure.The story of a geriatric ward in a small Yorkshire hospital threatened with closure.The story of a geriatric ward in a small Yorkshire hospital threatened with closure.

  • Director
    • Richard Eyre
  • Writers
    • Alan Bennett
    • Heidi Thomas
  • Stars
    • Jesse Akele
    • Lorraine Ashbourne
    • Nivedita Bhargava
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.0/10
    2K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Richard Eyre
    • Writers
      • Alan Bennett
      • Heidi Thomas
    • Stars
      • Jesse Akele
      • Lorraine Ashbourne
      • Nivedita Bhargava
    • 61User reviews
    • 29Critic reviews
    • 52Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:18
    Official Trailer

    Photos21

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 15
    View Poster

    Top cast41

    Edit
    Jesse Akele
    • Nurse Pinkney
    Lorraine Ashbourne
    Lorraine Ashbourne
    • Mrs Earnshaw
    Nivedita Bhargava
    • Mother
    David Bradley
    David Bradley
    • Joe Colman
    Nicholas Burns
    Nicholas Burns
    • Minister
    Paul Butterworth
    Paul Butterworth
    • Richard
    JP Conway
    JP Conway
    • Kieran
    Eileen Davies
    Eileen Davies
    • Molly
    Judi Dench
    Judi Dench
    • Mary
    Nishu Dikshit
    • Ruha
    Patricia England
    • Mavis
    Vincent Franklin
    Vincent Franklin
    • Mr Salter
    Bally Gill
    Bally Gill
    • Dr Valentine
    Gerard Horan
    Gerard Horan
    • Mr Earnshaw
    Derek Jacobi
    Derek Jacobi
    • Ambrose
    Catherine Jayes
    • Pianist
    Rajinder Kaur
    • Nani
    Harsheen Kaur
    • Shirina
    • Director
      • Richard Eyre
    • Writers
      • Alan Bennett
      • Heidi Thomas
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews61

    6.02K
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    7CinemaSerf

    Allelujah

    When a small geriatric hospital in Northern England is threatened with closure, the staff and patients rally together to try and save it. There might be a glimmer of hope with this task as the government consultant tasked with the final evaluation - "Colin" (Russell Tovey) has his estranged father " Joe" (David Bradley) in that self same facility. The place is run under the benignly imperious hand of "Sister Gilpin" (Jennifer Saunders) with Bally Gill's "Dr. Valentine" tending to their clinical needs. As you'd expect with Alan Bennett, this comes at you from the left of the political spectrum, and highlights what he sees as the short-termism of fiscally based decision making. To that end, Sir Richard Eyre has assembled a strong cast of formidable character actors to portray the patients. Most notable amongst them, for me, was Julia McKenzie and Bradley is also on great form as the curmudgeonly old gent coming to terms with his predicament and his successful, gay, son. There is plenty of dry humour, observational sarcasm to the fore and Saunders and Gill have quite a nice chemistry between them as they both strive to care for their elderly charges. I can't say that I loved the ending. It is thought provoking, but somehow seemed just a little over-dramatic and unnecessary. That said, though, the ensemble cast reminded me very much "Quartet" (2012) with strong leading characters and familiar faces at every turn helping to highlight the serious (and lighter) issues of the ageing process for both the older folks and for those charged with keeping them well. Not sure it really needs a cinema to enjoy, but it's still well worth ninety minutes.
    5dorothybishop-12911

    Excellent acting but flaky plot

    On the positive side, the acting was great. I particularly liked Jennifer Saunders' portrayal of a dedicated, no-nonsense ward sister, and David Bradley's retired miner. The underlying message of the threat to the NHS by those that don't understand its core values is an important one. But this film was not the way to make that point.

    Although, as you'd expect with a strong cast, the acting was great, many of the characters were tediously stereotyped: the charming Asian doctor who 'loved old people', the bubbly, enthusiastic nurse, a range of old people who used Alan Bennett one-liners to establish themselves as sweetly eccentric, away with the fairies, or curmudgeonly in a loveable way. You could tell just by the body language that the children of an old lady were up to no good and just wanted to fleece her. The son of the miner who had gone South to forge a successful career as a management consultant was predictably transformed from an over-confident critic of the hospital to a supporter.

    The setting was not so much stereotyped as confusing. The threatened hospital did have one doctor, one nurse, a sister, and a physiotherapist, and some of the patients were sick - indeed the plot hinged on a character who was worried that if he improved he'd be sent back to a nursing home. But most of the activities that we saw suggested that the institution was a care home - the old people seemed to be long-term residents and were well enough to shuffle around doing craft activities and reminiscence therapy. A film crew from the local paper were drifting around interviewing residents. It was as if the original intention was to make a film about a care home, but they then realised that if they wanted the message to be about the NHS, they needed to make it into a hospital.

    I won't include spoilers but just to say that just when you think this is going to be a totally saccharine experience, where the struggling hospital will be saved from closure, there is a plot twist that acts like a hand grenade in derailing all expectations. It might have worked if the rest of the film had been more believable, but it seemed totally unsatisfactory in the context of the rest of the film.

    And then, at the end we have bolted on a section where the nice doctor is now in a covid ward, making a heartfelt plea for the continuation of the NHS, while showing devastating scenes of patients in corridors, and exhausted staff in PPE struggling to cope. I found myself wishing that Ken Loach had made a film on this theme: that would have been far more effective than this clunky treatment.
    7gazmar62

    Dying to help the NHS ?

    Maybe TIFF wasn't the best place to launch this very British film based on a play ?

    The NHS ( National Health Service) is shown in a microcosm of political and cynical struggles in a small community hospital unit for old people needing special care.

    It's very Alan Bennett, although with short but still cutting monologues , some are funnier than others but all serve a purpose.

    The geriatric ward is the logical place to highlight the old and decrepit hospital system, fighting for survival at death's door, but there are more metaphors here, the NHS is killing people due to a lack of resources, most notably a shortage of beds, is there even a shortage of carers?.

    Jennifer Saunders is great as the head nurse trying her best to keep a 'clean' ward, but working to targets for turnover of patients and moving them through the system comes at a heavy price, closure is imminent and her efficiency is not enough.

    The doctor is stereotypical, an Asian immigrant with a nostalgic true vocational outlook to care for his patients with a hands on approach.

    The patients are a who's who of British stalwart actors and they are very convincing as geriatrics, each representing the problems within the health care system. One patient's son happens to be a management consultant for the government's health minister and getting a personal experience of the hospital suggests the need for 'government' to understand the real world of this care in the community, rather than just facts and figures on spreadsheets, it's a political statement about how things are failing people by going for large scale centres of excellence?.

    As a person with a lot of personal experience of the NHS and getting old too, I can relate to the representation if not actually recognise the geriatric care unit.

    The film takes a risky turn or two near the end especially with a plea for support and understanding of the caring people who work in the NHS providing a public service, which is now underappreciated again post pandemic, although ironically with the recent strike action this has probably not helped their case.

    This is bound to be a divisive film and some may be disappointed by it's change in tone from comedy to politics, especially if they don't understand the British system or the metaphors about it.
    6akblue-02677

    All star cast

    Likeable characters emotional film dealing with the problems of old age & the relationships between staff, patients & relatives. Many big names who have aged including a star from the sitcom Desmonds.

    Think the Asian doctors accent was over done & the last 5 mins of the film were an unnecessary & spoiled the film for me. No need to end the film in such a way at all.

    Russell tovey character was responsible for the advice to close down the ward despite his father being a patient there. Was a bit puzzled by the twist in the film & how it came to light, very simplistic.

    Did enjoy the film & for those interested in saving the nhs , who work in care or have elderly relatives , go see this film.
    6cathyannemoore-66196

    Not what I expected

    I thought I was all set for a heart warming feel good film. Very depressing. Tackles the issues of geriatric care and there's no happy ending we all are going to die. Jennifer Saunders is really different to how we usually see her. No make up dowdy and with a northern accent. It didn't surprise me she could transform successfully into a no nonsense matron of a Yorkshire hospital given all of the characters she played in French and Saunders. Judi Dench and Derek Jacobi of course steal the show. The words spoken as a narrative over the film by Dr Valentine had me sobbing into a tissue throughout .

    More like this

    The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
    6.8
    The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
    The Great Escaper
    7.0
    The Great Escaper
    The Miracle Club
    6.4
    The Miracle Club
    Alleluia
    6.2
    Alleluia
    Hattie
    6.8
    Hattie
    Letter to Brezhnev
    6.7
    Letter to Brezhnev
    Sweet Sue
    5.5
    Sweet Sue
    Wicked Little Letters
    7.0
    Wicked Little Letters
    Blue Jean
    6.9
    Blue Jean
    Men Up
    6.8
    Men Up
    Off the Rails
    5.2
    Off the Rails
    Aisha
    6.5
    Aisha

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The point about the Earnshaws needing their mother to hang on for another three months relates to UK Inheritance Tax. No tax is payable on any gift given more than seven years before the giver dies. If however, the giver dies within seven years, tax can be applied retrospectively. There is a sliding scale, known as taper relief, so that if the giver dies six years after the gift (as here), the tax rate is 8% (from a maximum of 40%).

      In the case of large transfers (eg a property), even after various allowances are taken into account, 8% can amount to a significant sum.
    • Goofs
      After a death, a pulse is checked using a thumb. You should never take a pulse using your thumb as it has its own pulse.
    • Quotes

      Sister Gilpin: I mean, all these managers, all they think about is movement isn't it? Like the hospital system is just some giant bowel that has to keep pumping out shit.

    • Connections
      Featured in The Graham Norton Show: Dame Judi Dench/Hugh Jackman/Michael B. Jordan/Eugene Levy/Paul Rudd/Michael Douglas/Pink (2023)
    • Soundtracks
      For the Good Times
      Written by Kris Kristofferson

      Performed by Perry Como

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ14

    • How long is Allelujah?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 17, 2023 (United Kingdom)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Aleluia
    • Filming locations
      • Wakefield Westgate Railway Station, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, UK(Train station)
    • Production companies
      • Warner Bros.
      • Pathe UK
      • BBC Film
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross worldwide
      • $5,631,642
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 39 minutes
    • Color
      • Color

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Judi Dench, Derek Jacobi, David Bradley, Jennifer Saunders, Russell Tovey, Jesse Akele, and Bally Gill in Allelujah (2022)
    Top Gap
    What is the French language plot outline for Allelujah (2022)?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb app
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb app
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb app
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.