Distant Voices, Still Lives
1988 · 84 min · Director: Terence Davies
Show plot summary (may contain spoilers)
The second film in Terence Davies's autobiographical series ('Trilogy', 'The Long Day Closes') is an impressionistic view of a working-class family in 1940s and 1950s Liverpool, based on Davies's own family. The first part, 'Distant Voices', opens with grown siblings Eileen (Angela Walsh), Maisie (Lorraine Ashbourne) and Tony (Dean Williams), and their mother (Freda Dowie) arranged in mourning clothes before the photograph of their smiling father (Pete Postlethwaite). Soon after, the family poses in a similar tableau, but for a happier occasion - Eileen's wedding. While relatives sing at her reception, Eileen hysterically grieves for her dad, and recalls happy times of her youth. Tony and Maisie's memories, however, are more troubled. Davies intermingles and contrasts scenes like the family peacefully lighting candles in church with the brutal man beating his wife and terrorizing his young children. In 'Still Lives', set (and filmed) two years later, the siblings are settled in life, but not all happily. For Eileen, relief from her drab existence comes only when singing at the pub. With his skillfully composed frames and evocative use of music in place of dialogue, Davies creates a lovely, affecting photo album of a troubled family wrestling with the complexity of love.
Emotional fingerprint
Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988) — Movie. Top emotional signals: Nostalgia 30%, Sadness 25%, Empathy 20%. Source: AI estimate. Shares describe emotional signal, not percentages of people. Your experience may differ. How we measure
- Nostalgia30%
- Sadness25%
- Empathy20%
- Melancholy15%
- Humor10%
AI estimate · no viewer votes yet
How we measure
AI estimate
Share of emotional signal, not the percentage of people or a probability of enjoyment.
Each viewer contributes one response, split equally across their selected emotions. When available, an automated estimate supplies a prior that is blended with those responses. Counts include distinct viewers, not automated estimates or archived anonymous votes. Fewer than 3 viewers is an early estimate; more responses do not guarantee certainty.
Why it feels this way
The strongest emotional signals are Nostalgia, Sadness, Empathy. Genres: Drama, Music. AI estimate.
Is it worth watching?
Consider this title if you are looking for Nostalgia, Sadness and Empathy. Its IMDb rating of 7.4/10 suggests a generally positive audience reception. For these leading emotions, its Feel Score is 71/100.
How did it make you feel?
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Pick up to three · 0/3
Emotional journey
- Sadness
- Empathy
- Nostalgia
Not enough subtitle evidence
No dominant emotion
Dominant emotion: Nostalgia
Dominant emotion: Sadness
Dominant emotion: Humor
Dominant emotion: Tension
Dominant emotion: Empathy
Dominant emotion
| % | Approximate minute | Dominant emotion | Overall intensity | Sadness | Empathy | Nostalgia |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 % | ≈ 2′ | Nostalgia | 48 % | 40 % | 35 % | 28 % |
| 7.5 % | ≈ 6′ | Sadness | 58 % | 41 % | 44 % | 28 % |
| 12.5 % | ≈ 11′ | Humor | 61 % | 43 % | 46 % | 38 % |
| 17.5 % | ≈ 15′ | Sadness | 65 % | 55 % | 54 % | 48 % |
| 22.5 % | ≈ 19′ | Sadness | 66 % | 54 % | 59 % | 39 % |
| 27.5 % | ≈ 23′ | Tension | 71 % | 43 % | 60 % | 32 % |
| 32.5 % | ≈ 27′ | Tension | 71 % | 31 % | 51 % | 36 % |
| 37.5 % | ≈ 32′ | Humor | 64 % | 30 % | 40 % | 34 % |
| 42.5 % | ≈ 36′ | Sadness | 60 % | 40 % | 41 % | 31 % |
| 47.5 % | ≈ 40′ | Nostalgia | 55 % | 36 % | 41 % | 33 % |
| 52.5 % | ≈ 44′ | Empathy | 51 % | 28 % | 35 % | 30 % |
| 57.5 % | ≈ 48′ | Humor | 43 % | 19 % | 24 % | 29 % |
| 62.5 % | ≈ 53′ | Nostalgia | 40 % | 15 % | 24 % | 27 % |
| 67.5 % | ≈ 57′ | Humor | 49 % | 23 % | 32 % | 24 % |
| 72.5 % | ≈ 61′ | Sadness | 51 % | 27 % | 34 % | 23 % |
| 77.5 % | ≈ 65′ | Humor | 50 % | 28 % | 34 % | 23 % |
| 82.5 % | ≈ 69′ | Empathy | 50 % | 30 % | 41 % | 21 % |
| 87.5 % | ≈ 74′ | Empathy | 54 % | 35 % | 46 % | 29 % |
| 92.5 % | ≈ 78′ | Nostalgia | 61 % | 46 % | 41 % | 45 % |
| 97.5 % | ≈ 82′ | Sadness | 65 % | 58 % | 37 % | 50 % |
Rags to riches
Rags to riches: The emotional tone rises from negative to positive.
Riches to rags: The emotional tone falls from positive to negative.
Man in a hole: The tone falls, then recovers.
Icarus: The tone rises, then falls.
Cinderella: The tone rises, falls, then rises again.
Oedipus: The tone falls, rises, then falls again.
AI reading of the film’s English subtitles (dialogue and sound cues) — not viewer votes. How we measure ↗
Kadri — your film companion
AIAsk anything about Distant Voices, Still Lives. From the film’s own dialogue and FeelDB data, at your spoiler level.
Afterward Reveal viewer responses · may contain spoilers
Viewer responses about feelings after the title ended, separate from feelings while watching. No AI estimates.
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Cast
Mother
Eileen
Tony
Eileen as a child
Maisie as a child
Tony as a child
Dave
Micky
George
Jingles
Rose
Granny
Aunty Nell
Red
Les
Doreen
Priest
Details
- Directed by
- Terence Davies
- Written by
- Terence Davies
- Type
- Movies
- Released
- 1988
- Runtime
- 84 min
- Country
- United Kingdom, West Germany
- Ratings
- Feels mostly
- Nostalgia
- Data updated
Where to watch
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Availability varies by country
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