loneliness
Review: Another Year
The Pitch: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter and… wait, that’s it.
The Review: There’s a certain comfort to a Mike Leigh film. He’s explored different themes, moods and eras over the years, but compared to someone like Steven Soderbergh, who weaves in and out of genres almost as if he’s scared to be pinned down, there’s always a certain quality to Leigh’s work. That quality is undoubtedly driven by the meticulous preparation and extensive collaborations with his actors, although he has arguably mellowed a little in recent years, especially with his previous effort, the Sally Hawkins starrer Happy-Go-Lucky.
To a certain extent, though, it’s business as usual at the start, with Imelda Staunton laying down the early groundwork before we get to meet the core characters of the story. We follow Tom (Jim Broadbent) and Gerri (Ruth Sheen) through the course of what is in essence an unremarkable year, but there are four stopping off points in the course of that journey, nominally marked out by the seasons but also marking the key interactions between Tom, Gerri and Gerri’s son Joe (Oliver Maltman) and work colleague Mary (Lesley Manville). While Joe and Mary start in similar situations, reflecting on their own isolation, events as the seasons progress take them in notably different directions.
Tom and Gerri (and yes, reference is made in the film to the coincidence of their names) seem to be cast from the same mould as Sally Hawkins’ Poppy from Happy-Go-Lucky, the eternal optimists just travelling through life, but at a later point in their journey, so with a little world weariness taking the polish off that optimism. They certainly allow event to intrude on that happiness a little, and of course Jim Broadbent and Ruth Sheen are both thoroughly charming in their roles. But it’s Mary who’s the catalyst for events, in her own little bubble and bouncing through Tom and Gerri’s world and causing ripples as she goes. Lesley Manville is outstanding as the fraught and excitable Mary, ranging from gabbling at nineteen to the dozen when her nerves come through or when flirting with Joe, to uncomfortable silences when left in the company of others for too long, and in every extreme Manville is close to perfection.
The passage of the seasons is marked very effectively, not only in the changing cinematography but in the use of the seasons to reflect the moods of the characters themselves, almost as if they create the feeling of the season more than their environment. But nothing is flash or showy, Leigh giving scenes the room to breathe that they need and not afraid to linger when the story requires. Despite that, that pace never flags, although it could be argued that Another Year is always a shade more interesting when Manville is on screen. It’s her performance that will linger longest after the credits, but Leigh remains in the fine form he’s been in for the past decade and this could actually be his best effort for some time; subtle, believable, funny and with just enough personal despair to balance out the lighter drama.
Why see it at the cinema: To fully appreciate the shades of the cinematography and to become wrapped up fully in the fates of the characters. There’s also a few chuckles to appreciate with your fellow audience members.
The Score: 9/10
Chuck Walton: I Salute You
I have a set of priorities in my life, and almost astonishingly cinema attendance is actually only fourth on my list (behind wife, work and singing, and just ahead of trying to lose weight and supporting my three favourite sports teams). Despite that, I am still managing to average two movies a week this year and to write this blog, so I can’t be doing bad. But no matter what you do in life, you always get the feeling there’s someone better, or madder (or both) out there. Step forward Chuck Walton.
Chuck has decided, for reasons probably best known to himself, to do what I did two years ago, to watch 100 movies. However, I did mine in a year, and had the comfort of four very decent multiplexes or art house cinemas in my local area. What Chuck is doing is watching those 100 movies in 100 days, at 100 different screens. He’s also subsisting on what he can find at those theaters (for he is American) and by day 55 had put on 15 pounds, apparently.
There’s a number of other things he’s driven to that I don’t have to do: firstly, he’s watching something, no matter what the quality, so he’s seen Killers and Marmaduke. Secondly, he’s also catching old movies, whereas I prefer the thrill of the new. Thirdly, he’s eating cinema food, something I’ve tried to really cut down on in my constant visits, because sooner or later, it’ll do to you what it’s doing to Chuck. And fourthly, he’s putting in the miles – I understand his girlfriend has gone to her mother’s until he completes this. My wife is very understanding of my hobby (thankfully, otherwise the cinema wouldn’t be the only time I’m on my own), but this has the feeling of the extreme marathon runner. I’ve widened my horizons this year, and have been to eight cinemas for my 52, but Chuck, as with everything else, has to push it that little bit further.
But this is movie obsession taken to extreme levels, and extensively blogged on the whole time. He’s on day 63 at time of writing, and looks like he’s going to go all the way. And for that, Chuck Walton, I salute you.
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The Movie Evangelist 