The Edge of Love

2008

97 mins

Cabaret singer Vera (Keira Knightley) reunites with her teenage love, the charismatic poet Dylan Thomas (Matthew Rhys), only to... More

Cabaret singer Vera (Keira Knightley) reunites with her teenage love, the charismatic poet Dylan Thomas (Matthew Rhys), only to find him married to Caitlin (Sienna Miller). Despite their rivalry, the two women become friends.

Vera marries admirer William Killick (Cillian Murphy), but still feels a deep ravenous love for Dylan. To make matters worse, Dylan fancies a bit of Vera in return. When William gets posted off to war, the pregnant Vera struggles to contain her emotions, and risks betraying Caitlin. William returns home and finds out about his wife's indiscretions. He becomes violently angry, attacks Dylan, and Vera is left to choose between the men in her life.

The script is written by Knightley's real-life mother, Sharman Macdonald, who initially had her daughter in mind for the role of Caitlin. Knightley does all of her own singing in the film.

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The Edge of Love is available to stream in New... More Zealand now on Apple TV Store and Prime Video Store.

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The Edge of Love | Ratings & Reviews

38_%58 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes® rating
43_%53,750 reviews
Audience score rating

"Knightley and Miller deliver splendid performances, the former showing she has a pretty, tuneful voice. Murphy is enigmatic as the strong-willed soldier, while Rhys is suitably soppy as the weak and often detestable Dylan. The story drags at times but there are rewards as the relationships each find their footholds, and Vera is taken right to the precarious edge of love as she finally realises what is most important."

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Urban Cinefile

"This is a fascinating story, its chronology somewhat muddled and its dramatic thrust rather obscure."

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The Guardian

"A well-crafted film about love, friendship, war and poetry."

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New Zealand Herald

"In another version of this tale, we would probably have had Russell Crowe playing the Welsh wizard of words, but instead we have the underwhelming Rhys (TV's Brothers and Sisters) being overshadowed by an uneven Miller (Casanova), an underused Cillian Murphy (The Wind That Shakes the Barley) and an insubstantial Knightley (Atonement), struggling with an unconvincing Welsh accent."

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