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The English Patient

The English Patient

In love, there are no boundaries.

1996162 minRMidcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
Director
Anthony Minghella
Starring
Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche, Willem Dafoe, Kristin Scott Thomas

In the 1930s, Count Almásy is a Hungarian map maker employed by the Royal Geographical Society to chart the vast expanses of the Sahara Desert along with several other prominent explorers. As World War II unfolds, Almásy enters into a world of love, betrayal, and politics.

Where to watch

Where can I watch The English Patient?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists The English Patient streaming on Paramount+ and Pluto TV (free) and to rent or buy on Apple TV and Prime Video.

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Highlights

What stands out about The English Patient?

The English Patient earns 13 badges, led by Oscar Winner and Top 10% of films.

Show 5 more
  • Rank
  • Reception
  • Craft and mood
  • Awards and box office
  • Cast

Reception

Is The English Patient worth watching?

The English Patient's Midcredits score is the 90th percentile of all films, from 341K ratings across 6 sources. 77% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

90th percentile

Better received than 90% of films

92nd percentile among Drama91st percentile among 1990s
Acclaim (how much people like it)89th
Approval (how many liked it)87th

74 /100

89th percentile of all films

91st percentile among Drama91st percentile among 1990s

Critics 86 · Audience 73

Critics liked it more than audiences did.

Rating distribution

A broad spread centered near 7.4 — solid but not unanimous.

77% liked it

87th percentile of all films

89th percentile among Drama88th percentile among 1990s
77% rated it 7–1023% rated it 1–6

Critics 86% · Audience 83%

On Rotten Tomatoes, critics and audiences approve at similar rates.

Awards

9 Oscars won · 3 Oscar noms · 50 wins / 43 noms overall

  • WonAcademy Awards· Best Actress in a Supporting Role
  • WonAcademy Awards· Best Art Direction-Set Decoration

97th percentile

341K ratings across platforms

98th percentile among Drama97th percentile among 1990s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 21% in 30 days

Box office

Budget$27M
Opening weekend$278K
Domestic gross$79M
Worldwide gross$232M

Returned 8.6× its budget — 99th percentile earner in its genre.

What reviewers say

Common ground

Both fans and detractors agree the film is visually stunning, beautifully shot, and technically accomplished, but differ on whether its slow, stately pace and romantic melodrama are captivating or tedious.

Fans praised

  • sweeping epic cinematography evoking David Lean
  • passionate, tragic love story with palpable chemistry between Fiennes and Scott Thomas
  • strong ensemble performances, particularly Binoche's luminous and Fiennes' layered portrayal

Detractors panned

  • overlong, slow pacing that feels indulgent
  • unsympathetic, cold characters and an unconvincing central romance
  • pretentious, self-important tone with hollow emotional depth

What stands out

Cinematography90

gorgeous desert and Italian landscapes, sweeping aerial shots, painterly compositions

Atmosphere85

immersive, richly evoked wartime settings and tactile sense of place

Sound and musicDivisive85

haunting, evocative score that amplifies emotional weight

ActingDivisive80

Fiennes gives a haunted, layered performance; Binoche is luminous and emotionally grounded

Plot and storyDivisive55

non-linear narrative praised for depth by fans, criticized as fragmented and plodding by detractors

Emotional impactDivisive55

deeply moving for some, contrived and hollow for others

CharactersDivisive50

central lovers seen as cold and unsympathetic by detractors, while fans find them complex and tragic

PacingDivisive35

deliberate, slow rhythm that many find tedious

Preferred by

US vs non-US

Preferred by Non-US Viewers

Non-US viewers scored it 16 points higher than US viewers.

No notable difference between the other groups: each pair ranks it within 10 percentile points.

  • Women vs men 3 points apart
  • Under-30s vs over-30s 1 point apart
  • Critics vs users 4 points apart

Watch experience

What is The English Patient like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Moving and bittersweet: browse every movie of this kind

Watch this when you are ready to pay close attention and feel heavy feelings, and you want a story that moves you and leaves an ache.

It takes its time and leaves you bittersweet. Skip it when you want an easy night or you can only half-watch.

ToneFeelDemandwhat the answer rests onexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

Your full attention, room for heavy feelings, patience and a taste for open questions.

What it feels like

Moving and bittersweet.

The answer rests on this: Moods
RomanticMelancholicElegiacContemplative
Heaviest: throughout
Register
Romantic · 8% of filmsMelodramatic · 9% of films: Heightened emotion, played large.
Told as
Nonlinear · 6% of films: Events shown out of chronological order.Frame story · 5% of films: A story told inside another — someone is recounting it.
ToneThe film plays its tragic love story straight, with earnest emotion and a sweeping, epic register.
The rideThe film maintains a sustained romantic melancholy from the desert flashbacks to the monastery present, with the heaviest emotional weight spread across both timelines.
StructureThe story unfolds through flashbacks from the patient's memory, framed by his present-day care.

How it leaves you

what you carry away

Bittersweet.

The answer rests on this: BittersweetHaunting · 14% of films
Why it leaves you this wayThe film's tragic love story and wartime setting leave a lingering sense of loss and beauty.
How it ends · evidence
Bittersweet ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all films
Monster — 21% of films. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of films. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 10% of films. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 4% of films. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 11% of films. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 9% of films. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 13% of films. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 7% of films. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 22% of filmsPredator — 6% of films. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 6% of films. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of films. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 2% of films. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of films. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of films. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of films. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of films. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of films. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of films. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — under 1% of films. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of films. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of films. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of films. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of films. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 4% of films. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 5% of films. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of films. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — 1% of films. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of films. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 2% of films. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — 1% of films. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of films. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — 1% of films. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 4% of films. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of films. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of films. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of films. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 1% of films. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of films. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — 2% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 2% of films. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 2% of films. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 3% of films. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 3% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 5% of films. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of films. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 2% of films. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of films. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 5% of films. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 2% of films. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).Tragedy
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 21%: Predator 6% · Tyrant 6% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 2% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent under 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 10%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 4% · Mission 5% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage 1%
  • Voyage 4%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 2% · Survival ordeal 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent 1%
  • Comedy 11%: Romantic comedy 4% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 1%
  • Tragedy 9% (this title): Hubris 1% · Obsession 2% · Corruption arc 2% · Doomed love 2% (this title) · Crushed by fate 3%
  • Rebirth 13%: Redemption 3% · Healing 5% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 2%
  • Mystery 7%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 5% · Enigma 2%
  • No archetype 22%

Tragedy: A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin. · Doomed love: Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).

9% of films fit this archetype

Why this archetypeA tragic love story set against World War II, centered on a Hungarian cartographer whose affair with a married woman leads to his downfall and death.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 27% of filmsSelf — 22% of filmsPower — 7% of filmsMorality — 16% of filmsSurvival — 15% of filmsSociety — 9% of filmsIdeas — 5% of filmsRomantic love — 15% of filmsMarriage — 2% of filmsFamily bonds — 21% of filmsParenthood — 2% of filmsFriendship — 9% of filmsLoyalty — 4% of filmsIdentity — 14% of filmsComing of age — 5% of filmsAging — under 1% of filmsSelf-worth — 7% of filmsAmbition — 7% of filmsPurpose — 9% of filmsMemory — 3% of filmsObsession — 3% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 2% of filmsCorruption — 3% of filmsGreed — 3% of filmsClass — 3% of filmsOppression — 4% of filmsFreedom — 5% of filmsJustice — 13% of filmsDuty — 2% of filmsRevenge — 4% of filmsGuilt — 3% of filmsRedemption — 6% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — 1% of filmsSacrifice — 4% of filmsBetrayal — 5% of filmsDeception — 9% of filmsSurvival — 17% of filmsWar — 1% of filmsViolence — 4% of filmsMortality — 2% of filmsGrief — 6% of filmsTrauma — 7% of filmsMental illness — 1% of filmsAddiction — 1% of filmsIllness and disability — under 1% of filmsCommunity — 14% of films. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 5% of filmsPrejudice — 3% of filmsDisplacement — 1% of filmsFaith — 3% of filmsTradition vs change — 2% of filmsFame — 3% of filmsLegacy — 4% of filmsFate — 1% of filmsFree will — under 1% of filmsTruth — 4% of filmsHope — 5% of filmsNature — 2% of filmsArt — 4% of filmsTechnology — 1% of filmsSelfRomanticlove
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 27% (this title): Romantic love 15% (this title) · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 21% · Parenthood 2% · Friendship 9% · Loyalty 4%
  • Self 22%: Identity 14% · Coming of age 5% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 7% · Purpose 9% · Memory 3% · Obsession 3%
  • Power 7%: Power 2% · Corruption 3% · Greed 3% · Class 3% · Oppression 4% · Freedom 5%
  • Morality 16%: Justice 13% · Duty 2% · Revenge 4% · Guilt 3% · Redemption 6% · Forgiveness 1% · Sacrifice 4% · Betrayal 5% · Deception 9%
  • Survival 15%: Survival 17% · War 1% · Violence 4% · Mortality 2% · Grief 6% (this title) · Trauma 7% · Mental illness 1% · Addiction 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 9%: Community 14% · Isolation 5% · Prejudice 3% · Displacement 1% · Faith 3% · Tradition vs change 2% · Fame 3% · Legacy 4%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 4% · Hope 5% · Nature 2% · Art 4% · Technology 1%

Bonds

Romantic love · 15% of filmsGrief · 6% of films
Mourns its theme: Grieves its theme, or what has been lost of it.Intimate stakes: Consequences reach a person or a household.Ensemble lead
How it treats its themeA profound exploration of romantic love, memory, and the grief that accompanies loss.
StanceThe film mourns the loss of love and the tragedy of its destructive power, treating the affair as a beautiful but fatal force.

The world

Mid 20th centuryInstitutionalWildernessRealistic
Orchestral classicalSupportive music · original score · Gabriel Yared
SettingNorth African desert and a ruined Italian monastery during WWII
MusicYared's evocative, romantic score underscores the film's emotional sweep.

Content guide

Is The English Patient okay for kids?

R

The English Patient is rated R: “Rated R for sexuality, some violence and language” (MPAA). As of October 3, 2026, Midcredits content scores put its violence at intense (63/100), sexual content at intense (70/100), language at moderate (42/100), drug and alcohol content at moderate (38/100) and frightening material at intense (62/100). Overall it is heavier than 38% of R-rated films.

Ratings in 14 other countries
  • UK15
  • CanadaR
  • AustraliaM
  • Germany12
  • FranceU
  • Ireland15
  • JapanG
  • South Korea19
  • Brazil16
  • Belgium18
  • CzechiaU
  • Greece15
  • PortugalM/12
  • Spain12
Overall
Moderate · all five categories
Heavier than 62% of all filmsHeavier than 38% of R-rated films
Violence & Gore
Intense
typical for an R-rated film
heavier than 40%
Sex & Nudity
Intense · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
heavy for an R-rated film
heavier than 88%
Profanity
Moderate
light for an R-rated film
heavier than 15%
Alcohol & Drugs
Moderate
typical for an R-rated film
heavier than 43%
Frightening / Intense
Intense
typical for an R-rated film
heavier than 49%

Point along a line to see a well-known title at that level.

The reason to think twice is sexual content, violence, and frightening material. Everything else sits at or below what R-rated films usually carry.

Source: Midcredits content scores, 0 (none) to 100 (severe) per category, with each standing ranked against other films that have them.

What content warnings does The English Patient have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Cast and crew

Who is in The English Patient?

Cast

1 of the cast already had the standing of a top-10% working actor; Juliette Binoche won the Oscar for this film.

Ralph Fiennes
as Almásy
Rising: A short career with a standing when this film came out above the median working actor today.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Juliette Binoche
as Hana
Oscar win: Academy Award — Best Actress in a Supporting RoleTop draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Willem Dafoe
as Caravaggio
SAG nominee: Screen Actors Guild Award nomination — Outstanding Performance by a CastTop draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Kristin Scott Thomas
as Katharine Clifton
Oscar nominee: Academy Award nomination — Best Actress in a Leading Role
Naveen Andrews
as Kip
Screen debut: No prior film or television role.
Colin Firth
as Geoffrey Clifton
SAG nominee: Screen Actors Guild Award nomination — Outstanding Performance by a Cast
Julian Wadham
as Madox
Newcomer: A standing when this film came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.
Torri Higginson
as Mary
Newcomer: A standing when this film came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.
Jürgen Prochnow
as Major Muller
SAG nominee: Screen Actors Guild Award nomination — Outstanding Performance by a Cast
Kevin Whately
as Hardy
First film: No prior film role; they had worked in television.

Crew

More like this

What are movies like The English Patient?

Movies like The English Patient include Suite Française (2014), Nine (2009) and In the Mood for Love (2000). Of the 12 closest matches, two are films written by Anthony Minghella, and most are forbidden-love stories.

Balanced: every group counts the same, and production only breaks ties.

11 of these 12 share its praise for cinematography. Those cards say what else they share.

Explore by

What else shares a premise, people or place with The English Patient?

813 other films share the rarest tag below, kind of film: war epic. Each tag opens Browse with the films that share it.