The Child in Time (2017)

The life of a children's book author is turned upside down when his daughter goes missing.

Director:

Julian Farino

Writers:

Ian McEwan (based on the novel by), Stephen Butchard

Stars:

Benedict Cumberbatch, Kelly Macdonald, Stephen Campbell Moore

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Benedict Cumberbatch	...	Stephen Lewis
Kelly Macdonald	...	Julie
Stephen Campbell Moore	...	Charles
Saskia Reeves	...	Thelma
Andrea Hall	...	Policewoman
Jim Creighton	...	Male Neighbour
Beatrice White	...	Kate
Rosa-Marie Lewis	...	Shop Assistant
Franc Ashman	...	Lydia Webb
Anna Madeley	...	Rachel Murray
John Hopkins	...	Home Secretary
Elliot Levey	...	Prime Minister
Lucy Liemann	...	Joanna Buckley
Natasha Brown	...	Stephen's Younger Mum
Laurence Spellman	...	Greg Ellis

Storyline

Children's author Stephen Lewis is shopping with 4-year old daughter Kate when she suddenly disappears. Failure to find her puts a strain on his marriage, his wife Julie leaving to live in a seaside village, though Stephen regularly visits her. Stephen continues to write but is asked by the prime minister to check on his best friend Charles Dark, who has resigned his cabinet membership to live in an isolated woodland retreat with his wife Thelma. Stephen is perturbed by Charles' apparent regression to childhood, reminding him of his own loss and, returning to London, erroneously believes that another little girl is Kate. Three years after the disappearance Thelma asks Stephen, still keeping Kate's room for her, for help with the increasingly disturbed Charles, leading to a shocking discovery though a later phone call from Julie provides a new beginning for them both.

---

Plot Keywords:

loss of daughter | grief | missing daughter | school | male tears | 

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

The scene where Kate goes missing was filmed in a supermarket in Crouch End, London, with an uninterrupted public flow. Because of the intense performance in this scene, a real police officer was standing nearby to reassure members of the public that a filming was taking place.

---

Quotes

Julie: You took your time, didn't you? I was about to send out a search party.
Julie: [sees that Kate is missing]
Julie: Where is she?
Stephen Lewis: [tearfully] She was there. She was there.
Julie: Stephen, where is she?
Stephen Lewis: She was just there, she was right there!
Julie: What do you mean? Where is she?
Stephen Lewis: I don't know.
Julie: Where is she? Where is she now?

User Reviews

Where is the rest of it?

I had thought and hoped this was a series but found out tonight that yes, it was just the one program, and we're supposed to be happy with what we got. There were so many loose ends left. This could have gone so much further. Yes, we can work out what all the clues were and what it was all about but it would have been so much more satisfying to see "the rest", when it only just seemed to be getting going. I had only just persuaded my husband that it "had potential" and that we should watch the next episode, and then there wasn't one. A huge disappointment and a huge waste of Benedict Cumberbatch's time and talent. Really disappointed. I'd been hoping for a "Broadchurch-like" series with twists and turns and eventually a resolution. I guess with the "time" thing that couldn't logically happen but was really hoping for much, much more.

Details

Official Sites:

British Broadcasting Corporation [United Kingdom]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 April 2018 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Child in Time

Filming Locations:

England, UK

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$39,221

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Masterpiece, SunnyMarch

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 HD