A Handful of Dust

Year: 1988

Runtime: 118 mins

Language: English

Director: Charles Sturridge

RomanceDrama

High‑society aristocrat Tony Last’s life unravels after he welcomes the charismatic John Beaver to his country estate. Beaver soon begins an illicit affair with Tony’s wife, Brenda, meeting her in a series of secret trysts in London. Oblivious to the betrayal, Tony is stunned when Brenda demands a divorce, prompting him to flee on a disordered quest for meaning in South America.

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Timeline & Setting – A Handful of Dust (1988)

Explore the full timeline and setting of A Handful of Dust (1988). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Location

Hetton Abbey, London, Brazil (Amazon) forest, California

Hetton Abbey embodies the Last family's aristocratic stability. The story moves from the tranquil countryside to a rented London flat used for Brenda's affair, and then to a perilous Amazon expedition where Tony's fate is sealed. The jungle settlement represents a stark departure from English propriety, illustrating how distance from home can trap a person in a new kind of captivity.

🏰 English estate 🌆 London life 🌿 Brazilian jungle 🗺️ Expedition

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 13:30

Main Characters – A Handful of Dust (1988)

Meet the key characters of A Handful of Dust (1988), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 13:30

Major Themes – A Handful of Dust (1988)

Explore the central themes of A Handful of Dust (1988), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 13:30

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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.

Movies about a slow descent into desolation like A Handful of Dust

Stories where lives unravel with a steady, crushing inevitability.If you appreciated the methodical unraveling of Tony Last's life in A Handful of Dust, explore more movies like it. This thread gathers similar bleak period dramas and character studies where a steady pace charts a tragic downward spiral, driven by betrayal, loss, and profound existential despair.

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Narrative Summary

Narratives in this thread typically follow a clear, linear progression of misfortune, often triggered by a single event like a betrayal or loss. The protagonist's attempts to cope or find meaning are met with further failure, leading to an ending that feels both inevitable and devastatingly final.

Why These Movies?

Movies are grouped here for their shared commitment to a bleak, steady-paced exploration of despair. They resonate through a similar emotional journey—one of resignation and tragic fate—and a tone that is unflinchingly somber and melancholic.

Movies about gilded cages and social prisons like A Handful of Dust

Tales of characters imprisoned by their own wealth, status, or traditions.Fans of A Handful of Dust's exploration of aristocratic entrapment will find similar stories here. Discover movies about characters trapped by privilege, where lavish settings contrast with emotional imprisonment, themes of deception, and the hollow decay beneath a polished surface.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative pattern often involves a protagonist who initially embodies or benefits from a restrictive social system. A catalyst—such as an affair or a personal loss—exposes the emptiness of their world, leading to a journey that highlights their confinement, both literal and metaphorical, often ending in ironic tragedy.

Why These Movies?

These films share a critical focus on the theme of confinement within privilege. They are united by a mood of oppressive elegance, themes of social decay and betrayal, and a complex interplay between characters and the gilded worlds that ultimately destroy them.

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A Handful of Dust Summary

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A Handful of Dust Timeline

Track the full timeline of A Handful of Dust with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

A Handful of Dust Spoiler-Free Summary

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More About A Handful of Dust

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Discover movies like A Handful of Dust that share similar genres, themes, and storytelling elements. Whether you’re drawn to the atmosphere, character arcs, or plot structure, these curated recommendations will help you explore more films you’ll love.