The Films of Mike Leigh
Bleak Moments
Grown-Ups
Hard Labour
Nuts in May
The Kiss of Death
Abigail's Party
Who's Who
Home Sweet Home
Meantime
Four Days in July
High Hopes
Life is Sweet
Naked
Secrets & Lies
Career Girls
Topsy-Turvy
All or Nothing
Vera Drake
Happy-Go-Lucky
Click here for review.
Another Year (February 26/11)
A typically plotless Mike Leigh film, Another Year charts the comings and goings of several characters - ie Jim Broadbent's Tom, Lesley Manville's Mary, and Ruth Sheen's Gerri - over the course of one 365 day period. It's clear right from the get-go that Another Year benefits substantially from its uniformly impressive performances, as the stark reality of the characters proves instrumental in initially drawing the viewer into the proceedings - with the lion's share of praise certainly due to the film's stars. (Broadbent and Sheen are absolutely spellbinding as content, down-to-earth married couple Tom and Gerri, while Manville does a superb job of crawling into the skin of a desperately unhappy figure.) There's subsequently little doubt that the film's lack of momentum isn't as problematic as one might've expected, although it's hard to deny that certain stretches fare a whole lot better than others. (One of the more compelling interludes involves a dinner party that grows more and more awkward as Mary unsuccessfully hides her feelings of distaste from another guest.) It's also worth noting that unlikely some of Leigh's past efforts - ie Secrets & Lies - Another Year doesn't build to a larger-than-life, deeply cathartic finish; instead, the movie concludes with the various characters in an emotional state that's not too far removed from their mindset at the beginning (which, in turn, prevents the film from packing the kind of punch generally associated with Leigh's efforts, despite the decidedly bleak nature of the final shot). This is, ultimately, a rather minor complaint for a movie that's otherwise brilliantly acted and achingly authentic, with, in particular, Manville making quite a substantial impact as the perpetually depressive Mary.