Critical approbation isn’t always a good thing for films. At least not for the viewer, anyway. As when you go and see a film that has been lauded to high heavens, things can only go one of two ways: you either don’t agree and leave disappointed, or you agree and go home mildly contented. Neither of which is that great and this scenario could have very well been the case when I went to see Another Year, British legend Mike Leigh’s latest offering. For five-star revives have been plentiful, Cannes audiences were stunned, and there have been very vocal calls for Oscar nominations.
As it happens, I loved it. Though not as in-your-face as 99.9% of today’s movies and very typical of Mike Leigh in its exploration of both domestic life and melancholy, it is exhilarating viewing. Telling the story of middle-aged London-based couple, Tom and Gerri, the action is roughly split over four seasons of the year. ‘Action’ may be the wrong word, as fans of the director’s earlier work will know; the pace is sedate throughout and things are left to develop organically. This may not be to everyone’s taste but given the standard of acting, it is utterly engrossing.
Tom and Gerri very much represent the familial ideal: a solid, loving, successful couple: he a geologist, she a therapist. But their stability is seriously tested given the chaotic intrusion of the perennially unfortunate, alcoholic co-worker of Gerri’s, Mary (fabulously played by Lesley Manville). As well as acting as a counterpoint to their life, making passes at their single son and generally disgracing herself in the process, she hints at deeper problems and the underlying sadness that can easily characterise people’s lives. Other characters not as fortunate as Tom and Gerri’s family come and go, bringing their life into sharper focus.
As Peter Bradshaw has pointed out, it is difficult to decide whether to deride Tom and Gerri for their happiness, or to hold them up as a near-unattainable ideal. I am ambivalent. What it does show us are the vagaries of real life and how pure good fortune can play such an essential role in one’s happiness. A magnificent film; go and make your own mind up.
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