The Lovers

In 1972 Manchester, Geoffrey Scrimshaw and Beryl Battersby are part of a group choosing partners, and Geoffrey ends up with Beryl. A slow, budding attraction forms as they begin to get to know each other. The scene captures the city’s mood and the couple’s tentative chemistry.

Their parents attempt to use fashionable jargon from the era, only to reveal a decade-long gap in sensibilities. The setting contrasts with the couple’s own inexperienced entanglement and hints at the pressures to conform.

Geoffrey wants to be part of the evolving permissive culture, while Beryl prefers to wait until marriage. The clash foreshadows recurring conflicts about timing and commitment. Their conversations reveal their different priorities and fears about intimacy.

Geoffrey meets Beryl’s mother in a quiet living room, where they share tea and sardine sandwiches. The scene establishes family dynamics and sets the tone for the couple’s ongoing tensions. The understated moment contrasts with later, louder confessions.

They cuddle after a game of Scrabble, but their relationship feels too slow to develop. Realizing they’re not progressing, they decide to split up, even as their affection lingers. The moment marks a turning point in their young romance.

On his way to meet his parents for his mother’s birthday, Geoffrey meets Veronica and is drawn away from his original plans. He ends up going with Veronica, stepping into a different social circle. The encounter adds a new dynamic and temptation.

After a night at a strip bar with Veronica, she invites Geoffrey back to her flat. The encounter pushes him further from the life he had planned with Beryl and into a more reckless flirtation. It highlights Geoffrey’s wavering commitment during this period.

Veronica’s younger brother Jeremy interrupts the moment, delivering a comic, technical explanation of how babies are made. The scene blends humor with a blunt, naïve education about sexuality. It marks the permeation of adulthood into their social circle.

Beryl and Geoffrey meet again at a house party where attempts to be trendy collide with earnest social talk. Edith talks about Women’s Lib, and the party atmosphere shifts as personal tensions rise. Beryl storms off and later washes dishes with Geoffrey’s nerdy friend, signaling a cooling of their relationship.

Beryl phones Geoffrey to say she never wants to see him again, but reveals she’ll attend the school jumble sale the next day. The emotional distance widens, yet practical ties linger as she commits to the next event in their social circle. The moment underscores the fragile nature of their connection.

Geoffrey invites Beryl to a football match to watch Huddersfield, but their relationship still doesn’t gel. The invitation becomes a test of whether shared activities can repair their bond. Their divergent expectations foreshadow future complications.

They talk on the rooftop of Hotel Piccadilly about communication and happiness, and both realize they don’t truly like each other. The moment is calm but decisive, signaling the potential end of their relationship. It’s a rare, candid assessment amid the era’s social noise.

Meanwhile, Sandra is pregnant and planning to marry, which changes the social dynamics around the couple. Beryl sits next to Geoffrey at the reception meal, and the forced proximity awkwardly renews a connection between them. The film uses a single moment to fuse past and future possibilities.

Geoffrey misinterprets a plan to go to a 'match' and instead leads them to an empty football stadium where they discuss relationships. He tracks her down there, and they share a quiet conversation about their feelings. The scene blends melancholy with a hint of renewed curiosity.

A time jump finds them sitting in the same seats in a crowded stadium, with Beryl looking at Geoffrey with affection. The image freezes as the caption 'Not really the End' appears, suggesting possibilities for the future beyond the film’s frame.