Between Us

Between Us

Year: 2017

Runtime: 100 min

Language: Chinese

Director: Rafael Palacio Illingworth

DramaComedyRomance

As night falls in Los Angeles, a six-year relationship between Henry and Dianne faces a crisis. Doubts about commitment and conflicting societal pressures begin to strain their bond. Impulsive decisions and unexpected revelations lead them to encounter strangers who offer alternative paths, forcing them to examine the foundation of their relationship and what remains when the night ends.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – Between Us (2017)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Between Us (2017). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

Long Beach

The story unfolds in a contemporary urban setting centered on a small apartment and public spaces in a city. Key locations include a drive to Long Beach and a city hall wedding, as well as film screenings and a band gig that punctuate the couple's journey. The city backdrop frames their attempts at progress while temptations pull them in divergent directions.

🌆 Urban 💑 Modern city 🌊 Coastal

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 19:43

Main Characters – Between Us (2017)

Meet the key characters of Between Us (2017), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Dianne

A by-the-book organizer who handles events and public relations; she is craving deeper commitment but also seeks moments of freedom. She initiates and cycles through emotional and sexual detours, balancing loyalty with curiosity. Her reactions swing between longing, bravado, and vulnerability as she navigates a fragile bond with Henry.

💑 Relationship 🔗 Commitment 🌆 Urban life 🔥 Infidelity

Henry

A partner who feels the pressure to progress the relationship but resists formal steps; protective, reactive, and capable of intense passion. He ventures into a wild night with Veronica and engages in a tense, physical confrontation with Liam, revealing a stormier, combustible side beneath his calm exterior.

💼 Career 💔 Relationship strain 🌀 Jealousy 🗝️ Control

Veronica

A musician who inspires Henry with a project idea and becomes a provocative figure in their orbit. She embodies hedonistic energy, pushes boundaries, and embodies a contrast to the steady, cautious couple. Her late-night dynamic with Henry adds risk, temptation, and a sense of freedom.

🎤 Music 🔥 Temptation 🌀 Hedonism

Robert

A charismatic figure connected to Dianne through work; he pursues her with a kiss, challenging Dianne's commitment and pulling her into a new dynamic. He pivots the couple into a chain of events that exposes vulnerability and desire outside their relationship.

💼 Career 🧭 Temptation 🗺️ Power dynamics

Liam

A performer from an alternative piece who becomes involved with Dianne; a divorced man seeking connection, whose presence triggers tension with Henry. His physical strength and claims about Dianne create a confrontation that tests the couple's bond.

🎭 Theatre 🔥 Seduction 🧱 Conflict

Nadia

The limo driver who helps orchestrate transport for the affair chain; she serves as a quiet facilitator within the social circle and hints at the transactional nature of the night’s events.

🚗 Transportation 🗣️ Complicity 🕵️‍♀️ Gossip

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 19:43

Major Themes – Between Us (2017)

Explore the central themes of Between Us (2017), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

💍 Commitment

A long-term relationship is pushed toward formal commitment, yet the couple remains hesitant about taking the next step. The spontaneous city hall wedding in the film highlights both the desire for certainty and the fear of deeper obligation. The story uses the pressure from family and the monotony of routine to explore what commitment really means.

🔥 Temptation

The film threads a series of tempting encounters outside the relationship, testing boundaries and loyalty. Dianne's and Henry's flirtations with Veronica, Robert, and Liam reveal different appetites for danger, sensation, and autonomy. Each liaison heightens emotional stakes and destabilizes trust.

🧭 Power dynamics

Control, desire, and agency swirl as characters navigate advances and accusations. The interactions expose how attraction can override reason, and how characters attempt to steer outcomes—sometimes with asymmetric power, sometimes with vulnerability. The tension culminates in confrontations that blur affection with conflict.

🌗 Catharsis

The narrative moves through jealousy, anger, and an eventual, ambiguous reconciliation. After explosive moments, the couple falters, then reaches a mutual embrace that signals a complicated, unresolved resolution rather than a tidy ending. The film uses this emotional arc to question whether connection can survive upheaval.

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 19:43

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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.

Movies about a couple's pivotal night like Between Us

Intimate stories where a single pivotal night tests a long-term relationship.If you liked the intimate, high-stakes drama of Between Us, explore more movies like it. This collection features relationship stories where the entire narrative unfolds over one tense night, forcing couples to confront their deepest doubts about love and commitment in a raw, real-time setting.

tenserawvulnerableintimatemelancholicurban nightrelationship dramaintrospective

Narrative Summary

The narrative follows a linear, condensed timeline, typically a single night, where a long-term couple faces a crisis. Through a series of events—arguments, revelations, and encounters with strangers—the foundation of their relationship is stress-tested, leading to a climax that redefines their understanding of each other.

Why These Movies?

These films are grouped by their shared structure of a compressed timeline, their intense focus on dialogue and emotional vulnerability between two partners, and their exploration of modern romantic anxieties with a steady, realistic pacing that builds palpable tension.

Realistic and bittersweet romance movies like Between Us

Character-driven dramas exploring the fragile, uncertain nature of contemporary relationships.Find movies similar to Between Us that capture the bittersweet essence of modern love. This selection focuses on character-driven dramas with a medium emotional weight, where relationships are portrayed with raw honesty and the endings feel true-to-life rather than neatly resolved, perfect for viewers who appreciate nuanced storytelling.

bittersweetintrospectivemelancholicreflectiveuncertainrawadult dramamodern love

Narrative Summary

The narrative journey is primarily internal, following characters as they grapple with the gap between romantic ideals and complicated reality. Conflicts arise from everyday pressures and internal doubts rather than external villains, leading to a climax that emphasizes reflection and choice over dramatic action, and an ending that feels earned but open-ended.

Why These Movies?

This thread connects films through a shared tone of bittersweet realism, a moderate narrative complexity that avoids simple answers, and a focus on the emotional weight of relatable relationship struggles. The steady pacing and medium intensity create a consistently reflective and impactful viewing experience.

Unlock the Full Story of Between Us

Don't stop at just watching — explore Between Us 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 Between Us is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

Between Us Summary

Read a complete plot summary of Between Us, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

Between Us Summary

Between Us Timeline

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

Between Us Timeline

Between Us Spoiler-Free Summary

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Between Us Spoiler-Free Summary

More About Between Us

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about Between Us: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

More About Between Us