film / 1999
The End of the Affair
A jealous novelist investigates why his lover ended their wartime affair and discovers a vow that places love against faith.
Verified facts
- Runtime
- 1h 42m
- Director
- Neil Jordan
- Released
- 1999
- Based on
- The End of the Affair
PlotGeeks explainer signals
Why read this explainer
The film makes Sarah's spiritual conflict more immediate but still filters much of it through Bendrix. Her diary and the bombing remain the key evidence.
PlotGeeks note
The romance is strongest when it stops behaving like a contest Bendrix can win. Sarah's absence leaves him arguing with something he cannot possess.
Connected knowledge
Connected in PlotGeeks
Verified paths from The End of the Affair to closely related explainers and browse pages.
- Compare with The End of the Affair (1951 book)
Compare what changes between the 1951 book and the 1999 film.
- Explore Grief
These stories show grief as an active force: it can distort judgment, deepen care, or keep a person fixed in the past.
Timeline
Major events
- Bendrix and Sarah begin the affair
Wartime secrecy gives their attraction intensity while his jealousy grows.
- The bomb interrupts them
Sarah believes Bendrix has died and makes the vow that ends their relationship.
- The diary explains the separation
Detective work replaces imagined betrayal with Sarah's religious promise.
- Sarah's death changes the rivalry
Bendrix directs his anger toward the God he insists he does not believe in.
Story in 60 Seconds
The short version
In wartime London, novelist Maurice Bendrix begins an affair with Sarah Miles, the wife of civil servant Henry Miles. Their relationship is passionate but shadowed by Bendrix's jealousy. During an air raid, an explosion appears to kill Bendrix. He recovers, but Sarah abruptly ends the affair. Years later Bendrix meets Henry and, convinced Sarah has another lover, employs a detective. The investigation brings him Sarah's diary, which reveals that she promised God to leave Bendrix if his life were spared. Bendrix tries to overcome the vow, but Sarah becomes ill and dies before their conflict can be resolved.
Spoiler sectionEnding ExplainedShow ending detailsHide ending details
After Sarah's death, Bendrix observes events that others interpret as miracles and finds his disbelief becoming an angry address to God. He ends not with indifference but with a plea to be left alone. The shift matters because jealousy has survived the loss of every human rival. Bendrix cannot accept faith, yet his hatred now treats God as present, leaving him caught between resistance and the love Sarah's vow has made impossible.
Original context
Why it matters
The investigation exposes the investigator
Bendrix seeks proof against Sarah, but the diary reveals the limits of his own account. The evidence answers his suspicion while showing how little he understood her private struggle.
Key turning points
The bombing creates the vow
Sarah's apparent miracle turns survival into a promise that ordinary romantic persuasion cannot settle. The scene makes Bendrix's life the condition that separates them.
Character links
Who connects to whom
Character motivations
Bendrix wants love to remove uncertainty
His jealousy treats every unknown as betrayal, even when Sarah's conflict is larger than another lover. Possession feels safer to him than accepting a choice he cannot explain.
Adaptation
Book and film connection
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