The World to Come | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

75% Tomatometer 151 Reviews 64% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings

In this powerful 19th century romance set in the American Northeast, Abigail (Katherine Waterston), a farmer's wife, and her new neighbor Tallie (Vanessa Kirby) find themselves irrevocably drawn to each other. A grieving Abigail tends to her withdrawn husband Dyer (Casey Affleck) as free-spirit Tallie bristles at the jealous control of her husband Finney (Christopher Abbott), when together their intimacy begins to fill a void in each other's lives they never knew existed. Directed by Mona Fastvold and scripted by Jim Shepard and Ron Hansen, THE WORLD TO COME explores how isolation is overcome by the intensity of human connection.

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Critics Consensus

The World to Come is made from ingredients that will be familiar to fans of period forbidden romance movies, but they're given fresh life thanks to an excellent cast.

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Critics Reviews

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The World to Come | Rotten Tomatoes (1) Christina Newland iNews.co.uk This drama from Mona Fastvold is a minor-key tragedy about unremarkable people striving for love and connection. Rated: 4/5 Sep 23, 2024 Full Review The World to Come | Rotten Tomatoes (2) Mark Kermode Kermode & Mayo's Film Review A portrait of two loveless marriages with two absolutely stone-cold men. Aug 5, 2021 Full Review The World to Come | Rotten Tomatoes (3) Ella Kemp Empire Magazine It is a film to remember for its passion - for its belief that those tiny snatches of pleasure are worth holding onto, even if the rest of the world might never believe them even possible. Rated: 4/5 Jul 30, 2021 Full Review The World to Come | Rotten Tomatoes (4) Annlee Ellingson CineWomen The World to Come is a rapturous, inevitably tragic, love story that suggests resolution only in its titular eschatological phrase. Jul 29, 2024 Full Review The World to Come | Rotten Tomatoes (5) Amy Smith InSession Film This is a film that tells a familiar story and it is easy to question the need to tell this particular story. However, I was sold by the film by how much I enjoyed watching these characters come to life and seeing their relationship develop over time. Rated: B- Mar 1, 2024 Full Review The World to Come | Rotten Tomatoes (6) Rebecca Johnson Film Focus Online The script, though weak at times, offers interesting conversations on grief, life on the mid 19th century American frontier, the treatment of women and finding solace through matched experiences. Rated: 4/5 Aug 6, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Taylor Your review will help others decide whether to watch. Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/27/21 Full Review John O Spoilers: A portrait of the joy and captivation of an unexpected but welcome new, fresh two-women love, with the ironic sad realization that such could last only in some world to come, not in rural New York state of 1856 in the patriarchal society where women marry young and are expected, no commanded by husbands to place work, duty, responsibility, obligation not just first but only, despite what women's dreams, imaginings, goals might be. The men even quote the Bible to impress on wives what they should be doing. What is stunning is Vanessa, with a beautiful shock of long red hair, that firm and sexy voice of hers, her own mind, a self-assurance and an aggressiveness toward what she wants, if nothing but gentle and caring toward quiet and reserved Katherine, the smart, well-read, dependable, thougtful and resourceful woman who takes care of whatever needs done with a kind of devotion to excellence. But the women meet, as neighbors, and soon they are best friends, considerate, helpful , generous even lighthearted toward one another. Until that day, the day when friendship is not enough, and Vanessa, who is childless, haltingly, slowly moves right up to Katherine, who has lost a young daughter to illness, and they haltingly, hesitatingly kiss, finally passionately, and it moves their relationship toward where they both want it, as neither can believe how they feel and how that cold void in their hearts, heads and souls now feels full, as they had been in marriages with no warmth or affection, leaving them somewhere between automotons and zombies. This world that has come moves Vanessa's husband, not an explicit explanation by the women given, to move himself and his wife 80 miles away with not even a goobye. We see where this is going, and it ends in disaster for Vanessa and heartbreak of love for her and joy lost for Katherine. This is not some lesbian tome, but rather a portrait of two women gravitating toward something bright and beautiful for both, after long years of feeling unsatisfied, repressed, suppressed, oppressed and depressed, as they were that world out of the darkness to come for one another. Bravo to the cast for such fine and nuanced acting, especially the luminous, outgoing Vanessa, but also the nuance and longing of Katherine, the kind of rock everyone has depended on to take care of the details and get things done, though the unfair to women society turned the good they found into bad, a kind of female circumcision of mind where power and freedom to do what they want are just not allowed to women, particularly wives. Bravo to Casey for acting but also producing this. Rated 4.5/5 Stars • Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 09/03/24 Full Review Taylor K The two female leads in this movie turned an otherwise predictable period piece into something really special. They had real chemistry on screen and truly brought the characters to life. I felt every emotion they depicted. The directing was great as well. Although I didn't expect much from the film when I first started watching, I ended up really enjoying it. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/04/24 Full Review Esra Y Diary entries and dialogues are so hearty. Well as far as this genre goes it's always the same. Cheers for a future we get to enjoy modern lesbians living free in cinema. Rated 3.5/5 Stars • Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 10/30/23 Full Review Kimberly N Excellent story in a world where man dominated and reality is presented in such a crude way but at the same time they give us that romance, I loved it. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/27/23 Full Review Michael D Abigail and Dyer live on a farm in 1850s upstate New York along the frontier. When Tallie and Finney arrive for a short while, Abigail and Tallie strike up a friendship that reinforces in each woman what they are missing in their lives. Amazing landscape and cinematography, Waterston and Kirby connect. Rated 3.5/5 Stars • Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/23/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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Cast & Crew

Mona Fastvold Director Katherine Waterston Abigail Vanessa Kirby Tallie Casey Affleck Dyer Christopher Abbott Finney Karina Ziana Gherasim Nellie
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Synopsis In this powerful 19th century romance set in the American Northeast, Abigail (Katherine Waterston), a farmer's wife, and her new neighbor Tallie (Vanessa Kirby) find themselves irrevocably drawn to each other. A grieving Abigail tends to her withdrawn husband Dyer (Casey Affleck) as free-spirit Tallie bristles at the jealous control of her husband Finney (Christopher Abbott), when together their intimacy begins to fill a void in each other's lives they never knew existed. Directed by Mona Fastvold and scripted by Jim Shepard and Ron Hansen, THE WORLD TO COME explores how isolation is overcome by the intensity of human connection.

Director
Mona Fastvold

Producer
Casey Affleck, Margarethe Baillou, David Hinojosa, Pamela Koffler, Whitaker Lader

Screenwriter
Ron Hansen, Jim Shepard

Distributor
Bleecker Street Media

Production Co
M.Y.R.A. Entertainment, Yellow Bear Films, Hyper Films, Panasper Films, Sea Change Media, Charades, Sailor Bear, Arsia Production, Ingenious Media, Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions (SPWA), Killer Films

Rating
R (Some Sexuality/Nudity)

Genre
Romance, Drama, LGBTQ+

Original Language
English

Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 12, 2021, Limited

Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 2, 2021

Box Office (Gross USA)
$106.3K

Runtime
1h 38m
Most Popular at Home Now
The World to Come | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

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