{"id":372,"date":"2010-11-02T23:35:10","date_gmt":"2010-11-02T23:35:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmgaze.com\/blog\/?p=372"},"modified":"2010-11-02T23:37:57","modified_gmt":"2010-11-02T23:37:57","slug":"another-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmgaze.com\/blog\/comedy\/another-year\/","title":{"rendered":"LFF: Another Year – 4*"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>If film-making is about capturing truth and reality, however uncomfortable to watch, then Mike Leigh<\/a> is the master. His improvisation method results in the most sincere and heart-felt performances on screen and his latest film, Another Year<\/em><\/a>, is no exception. It\u2019s another triumphant Leigh study of relationships, family and loneliness, filled with laughter and sadness in equal measure that asks only of its viewer to listen and reflect.<\/p>\n

Unafraid to champion two seemingly \u2018dull\u2019 filmic subjects \u2013 middle age and middle class – Leigh\u2019s story places such a couple at its heart. It\u2019s wonderfully refreshing to see this age group on screen, dealing with everyday issues such as family and extended family incidents that anyone can relate to.<\/p>\n

Happily married Tom (Jim Broadbent<\/a>) and Gerri (Ruth Sheen<\/a>) are at the centre of a variety of lost or broken souls\u2019 worlds, providing the comfort zone for them to gravitate to and supposedly heal in. The irony with their names is not lost, as we never see them quarrel once, merely \u2018bristle\u2019 at times, as they cope with another year of others\u2019 issues.<\/p>\n

Tom and Gerri\u2019s comfortable and inviting home, or more accurately, their welcoming kitchen\/diner is reminiscent of a Bread<\/em><\/a>-style soap episode, where niceties and harsh realities are played out around a busy stove and a cup of steaming tea. Leigh also brilliantly depicts the home as both a sanctuary and a place of growing unease, almost injecting a separate life force into the walls that the characters play within and rebound off. Survival is the key in Leigh\u2019s universe.<\/p>\n

When what seems like mere trivialities to the rest of us start to impose on Tom and Gerri\u2019s idyllic suburban life, they retreat to their comfort place \u2013 their allotment \u2013 to ponder over events, whilst doing a Good Life<\/em><\/a> and growing prized veg.<\/p>\n

Broadbent and Sheen are perfectly cast and so believable that you almost expect them to be married off-screen, too. They encompass that unique Englishness etiquette of stiff upper lip, tolerance and inherited values, conversely married with a large dollop of sarcasm and harsh judgment. These provide the history and inner motivation that Leigh\u2019s characters always possess, making them feel so grounded and so real that they could be living next door.<\/p>\n

As with all Leigh films, there needs to be a whirlwind of emotion that blows in and out to upset the status quo. In this film it\u2019s Gerri\u2019s motor-mouthed and downright neurotic work colleague Mary, an attractive and flirty divorcee with no personal life to go home to \u2013 hence she\u2019s always hanging around and getting sloshed. Lesley Manville<\/a> steals the show as Mary, managing to make her alternately intensely annoying and hugely likeable as we gradually empathise with her loneliness and despair, and as she tries to put on a brave face.<\/p>\n

Indeed Tom and Gerri\u2019s reaction is almost one of unconscious callousness and patronage towards Mary, their old, alcoholic friend Ken (Peter Wight<\/a>) who\u2019s on a path to destruction, and recently bereaved brother\/brother-in-law Ronnie at allowing themselves to fall into such tragic ruts. Even at the beginning we are introduced to Gerri as a counsellor \u2013 in both the work and home sense \u2013 having to deal with a melancholy, bitter and self-loathing patient, perfectly played by Imelda Staunton<\/a>. Gerri\u2019s reaction is one of almost indifference as it\u2019s another day of work, with another person not willing to change their lot. In fact you begin to get irritated with Tom and Gerri for not seeing Mary\u2019s and the others\u2019 inner struggles as they are so wrapped up in domestic bliss; even the ending does not provide a compromise, but only disconcerts you further. The goalposts always change as each character shows both endearing and ugly qualities. And this is the subtle Leigh magic.<\/p>\n

The film\u2019s humour is almost solely centred on Mary, especially at one point when she asks grieving Ronnie (David Bradley<\/a>) whether he wants a cuddle \u2013 more for her than for him. There is another priceless moment when Mary jealously reactions to Tom and Gerri\u2019s son Joe\u2019s fun-loving new partner Katie (Karina Fernandez<\/a>). What she sees in Katie is a youthful new beginning, as well as the end of her only \u2018safe\u2019 means of flirtation with the opposite sex. Joe, mischievously played by Oliver Maltman<\/a>, is never truly fleshed out, possibly because as a product of his \u2018accomplished\u2019 parents, he\u2019s obviously a contented and well-rounded human being. We just don\u2019t know. Interestingly, Tom and Gerri do have an estranged daughter who we never get to see, so there are skeleton\u2019s in the family closet, which makes Tom and Gerri either survivors, or cowards at not resolving the rift.<\/p>\n

What is apparent is this film strikes at the heart of all of domesticated Brits; we\u2019ve all known someone like each of the characters it portrays. It also questions the sobering feeling of loneliness and even alienation felt by most at some point and, unashamedly, drags it to the attention. This is another Leigh ingredient that makes his films so disquieting and powerful that the lighter moments come as entertaining relief. Another Year<\/em> is another excellent Leigh-by-numbers creation to proudly add to his collection of life portraits that will never go out of fashion, but just mature nicely with age.<\/p>\n

4\/5 stars<\/strong><\/p>\n

By L G-K<\/p>\n

<\/object><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If film-making is about capturing truth and reality, however uncomfortable to watch, then Mike Leigh is the master. His improvisation method results in the most sincere and heart-felt performances on screen and his latest film, Another Year, is no exception. It\u2019s another triumphant Leigh study of relationships, family and loneliness, filled with laughter and sadness … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “LFF: Another Year – 4*”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[309,1,10],"tags":[301,308,303,304,302,306,307,305],"class_list":["post-372","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bfi-lff-2010","category-comedy","category-drama","tag-another-year","tag-david-bradley","tag-jim-broadbent","tag-lesley-manville","tag-mike-leigh","tag-oliver-maltman","tag-peter-wight","tag-ruth-sheen"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmgaze.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/372","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmgaze.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmgaze.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmgaze.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmgaze.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=372"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/filmgaze.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/372\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":409,"href":"https:\/\/filmgaze.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/372\/revisions\/409"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmgaze.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=372"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmgaze.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=372"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmgaze.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=372"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}