Maurice

During a beach trip, Maurice, aged 11, receives a lesson about the 'sacred mystery' of sex from his teacher. The teacher explains puberty and the changes Maurice will experience, trying to prepare him for adulthood. The scene foreshadows the film's later focus on sexuality and social pressures.

In 1909, Maurice befriends Clive Durham at Cambridge, and Clive confesses that he loves him. Maurice's initial horror gives way to reciprocal feelings, and the two begin a love affair. Clive insists their relationship remain non-sexual to protect his social position.

Their bond deepens, but they keep their love hidden from the world, fearing scandal and ruin. The arrangement is fraught with tension as Clive worries about the future he wants and the danger of exposure. Maurice is torn between desire and risk.

Maurice is sent down from Cambridge and moves to London to start a career as a stockbroker. Despite the distance, his feelings for Clive remain, and they endure in secret. The separation intensifies the tension around their relationship.

Risley is arrested and sentenced to six months' hard labour after soliciting sex from a soldier, triggering fear of exposure among Clive. Afraid of his own sexuality becoming public, Clive ends the relationship with Maurice. The couple's secrecy fractures as external threat looms.

After returning from Greece, Clive marries a naive heiress named Anne under pressure from his widowed mother. He settles into a sheltered domestic life at Pendersleigh. This marriage marks a formal denial of his previous relationship with Maurice.

Maurice seeks help from his family doctor, who dismisses his doubts as nonsense. He then consults Dr. Lasker-Jones, who tries to 'cure' his longings with hypnosis. Lasker-Jones warns that England resists homosexuality and suggests emigrating to a country where it is not criminalised.

While Maurice visits Pendersleigh, Alec Scudder, the under-gamekeeper who plans to emigrate to Argentina, begins to show interest. Maurice initially misses his cues and even treats Alec with contempt, while Alec quietly obsesses on him, spying from afar.

One night Alec climbs into Maurice's room and kisses him; Maurice is surprised but does not resist. The kiss deepens their connection, but it also triggers a dangerous misunderstanding about blackmail surrounding a boathouse meeting. The tension pulls the two men toward a more intimate relationship.

Maurice travels to London after the confusion, and he and Alec meet again; the supposed blackmail is resolved. Maurice begins to address Alec by his first name, signaling a deeper bond. Their relationship grows in tension against social constraints.

They spend the night together in a hotel room, and Alec explains that his departure for Argentina is imminent. Maurice senses the impossibility of a simple life with Alec, yet the bond deepens. The scene marks a turning point toward a defiant commitment.

Maurice goes to the port to give Alec a parting gift, only to learn Alec has missed the sailing. He then goes to Pendersleigh and confesses to Clive that he loves Alec. Clive remains bewildered by this revelation and Maurice's resolve.

Maurice seeks out Alec at the boathouse; Alec has left his family and chosen to stay with Maurice, declaring that they will never be parted. Clive, meanwhile, lies in bed reminiscing about their past together. The film ends on a note of renewed love amid social peril.