Brief Encounter

Right now you can watch Brief Encounter in the US on HBO Max Amazon Channel and YouTube TV — and the chemistry between the leads carries every scene. The runtime earns every minute, with nothing here that feels like padding. With 713 viewer ratings on TMDB, this is not a title flying under the radar. You will have strong feelings about it by the finale. Put it on tonight on HBO Max Amazon Channel and see for yourself.

Whatever else is competing for your attention this week, Brief Encounter is worth clearing space for. What makes Brief Encounter work is that the obstacles feel real, not manufactured for the plot. Returning home from a shopping trip to a nearby town, bored suburban housewife Laura Jesson is thrown by happenstance into an acquaintance with virtuous doctor Alec Harvey. Their casual friendship soon develops during their weekly visits into something more emotionally fulfilling than either expected, and they must wrestle with the potential havoc their deepening relationship would have on their lives and the lives of those they love. Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard lead a cast whose chemistry carries the emotional beats. Brief Encounter came out in 1945. Romance lives or dies on chemistry, and Brief Encounter has it in the cast combination that the writers chose to put at the centre of everything. The hit rate here is high enough that skipping ahead never feels like an option.

Romance fans and drama viewers alike will find something to love in Brief Encounter. It has built its own audience without needing a direct comparison. The complete film is available and best experienced without too much prior knowledge of where it goes. Celia Johnson is the anchor, and the work here is one of the more understated achievements in their career. The kind of thing you finish and immediately want more of.