 The film was released amid the social and cultural context of the Second World War when 'brief encounters' were thought to be commonplace and women had far greater sexual and economic freedom than previously.In "British National Cinema" (1997), Sarah Street argues that ""Brief Encounter" thus articulated a range of feelings about infidelity which invited easy identification, whether it involved one's husband, lover, children or country" (p. 55).In this context, feminist critics read the film as an attempt at stabilising relationships to return to the status quo.