An Inspector Calls

An Inspector Calls

Year: 2015

Runtime: 97 mins

Language: Cantonese

Director: Herman Yau

ComedyAction

A surprise visit from an inspector disrupts a celebratory party hosted by a prominent family. He is investigating the suicide of a young, pregnant woman, shattering the joyous atmosphere intended for an engagement. Initially, family members deny any knowledge of the deceased. However, the inspector uncovers unsettling clues through a diary and photograph, revealing a shocking connection between the family and the tragedy. The inspector gradually exposes how six members of the family are implicated in the girl’s death.

Tense
Ambiguous ending
Emotionally heavy
High intensity
Steady pacing
Moderate complexity

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – An Inspector Calls (2015)

Explore the full timeline and setting of An Inspector Calls (2015). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

1912

The story is set in 1912, the Edwardian era in industrial Britain. It depicts a wealthy family navigating class privilege while society braces for change. The period context frames issues of labor, gender, and responsibility that the inspector exposes.

Location

Brumley, North Midlands, Birling residence (dining room), Milwards department store, Palace Bar

The action unfolds in Brumley, an industrial town in the North Midlands, centered on the Birling family's home. The dining room becomes the stage for a tense family drama that unfolds over one evening, with detours to Milwards and a Palace Bar where Eva Smith interacts with the characters. The setting anchors a rigid social order that the evening's revelations threaten to upend.

🏭 Industrial town 🏡 Wealthy family home 🧭 Social hierarchy

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 08:00

Main Characters – An Inspector Calls (2015)

Meet the key characters of An Inspector Calls (2015), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Sheila Birling

A young, privileged woman whose initial naivety gives way to guilt and social awakening. She evolves from protectiveness of her class to a willingness to question her family's values and accept responsibility.

🎭 Drama 🌟 Growth

Gerald Croft

Sheila's fiancé and the son of a factory owner; his charm masks complicity in the class and power dynamics that shape Eva's fate. He acknowledges his actions and shares responsibility as the evening unfolds.

💼 Upper-class ⚖️ Responsibility

Mr. Birling

Patriarch of the Birling family, a self-important industrialist who espouses self-reliance and predicts stability. His dismissive attitude toward the workers reveals a tolerance for exploitation and a reluctance to admit fault.

🏢 Patriarchy 🧠 Self-assurance

Mrs. Birling

A patron of a charity who embodies class prejudice and moral judgment. She denies help to Eva Smith and tries to control the narrative, only to confront the consequences of her own decisions.

🧭 Class prejudice 🎭 Hypocrisy

Eric Birling

The Birling son whose alcoholic tendencies mask a capacity for self-deception and rash decisions. He ultimately admits responsibility for the pregnancy and theft, revealing a more complex moral trajectory.

🎭 Drama 🧠 Flawed hero

Eva Smith

The young woman (also known as Daisy Renton and Alice Grey) whose life is damaged by the actions of the Birlings and Gerald. Her experiences drive the inspector's case for universal accountability and the cost of social neglect.

🧭 Victim 🌟 Symbol

Inspector Goole

A mysterious inspector who orchestrates the moral reckoning, revealing how every action touches others. His authenticity is questioned, but the interrogations he conducts expose the family’s complicity.

🔎 Mystery ⚖️ Authority

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 08:00

Major Themes – An Inspector Calls (2015)

Explore the central themes of An Inspector Calls (2015), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🕯️ Moral Guilt

A central thread is that personal actions ripple through a web of lives. The inspector's interrogation forces each family member to confront their role in Eva Smith's fate. The play argues that denial and deceit cannot hide from the consequences of one’s choices. Even a 'harmless' privilege is shown to be complicit in harm.

⚖️ Class Privilege

The Birling family's wealth and social standing shield them from punishment while Eva Smith's struggles expose the cruelty of a rigid class system. The story critiques capitalist power and the way dismissal, neglect, and judgment maintain inequality. The inspector destabilizes the notion that wealth absolves responsibility.

🧭 Identity

Eva Smith's multiple names reflect how gender and desperation reshape a person's identity under pressure. The family’s moral responses—guilt, denial, blame—are tested against a narrative that suggests all lives are intertwined. The inspector questions whether morality is universal or contingent on one’s social position. The conclusion lingers, leaving the question of truth unresolved.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 08:00

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Explore Movie Threads

Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Claustrophobic thrillers of guilt and accusation like An Inspector Calls

A single setting becomes a pressure cooker for exposing buried secrets and moral failures.If you liked the intense, single-setting pressure of An Inspector Calls, explore more movies like it. These films feature confined spaces where characters are forced to confront their secrets and moral compromises, creating a suspenseful and morally charged viewing experience.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative typically unfolds in real-time or over a short period within a confined space. An external force—an investigator, a crisis, or a revelation—methodically dismantles the façades of the characters, leading to a cascade of confessions and the exposure of a shared, dark truth.

Why These Movies?

They are grouped by their use of a limited setting to generate high tension, a focus on moral and psychological unraveling over physical action, and a pervasive atmosphere of suspense and impending judgment that leaves characters and viewers emotionally drained.

Moral inquiries and anatomies of tragedy like An Inspector Calls

A forensic examination of how small, selfish acts snowball into a devastating outcome.Fans of An Inspector Calls who enjoyed its forensic dissection of a tragedy and its exploration of collective guilt will find similar movies here. These narratives methodically investigate how multiple characters contribute to a single, devastating event, often with a strong social justice theme.

forensicsombermorally chargedunsettlingthought-provokingsocial commentarycollective guilt

Narrative Summary

The plot is structured as an investigation or inquiry, piecing together the story backwards or through multiple perspectives. Each revelation implicates another character, building a complex picture of how privilege, indifference, or minor cruelties can lead to a major catastrophe, leaving the audience to ponder the distribution of blame.

Why These Movies?

They share a narrative structure centered on investigating a past calamity, a thematic focus on social responsibility and privilege, and an emotionally heavy tone that challenges the viewer to consider the ripple effects of seemingly insignificant actions.

Unlock the Full Story of An Inspector Calls

Don't stop at just watching — explore An Inspector Calls in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what An Inspector Calls is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

An Inspector Calls Summary

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An Inspector Calls Summary

An Inspector Calls Timeline

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An Inspector Calls Timeline

An Inspector Calls Spoiler-Free Summary

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An Inspector Calls Spoiler-Free Summary

More About An Inspector Calls

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