ianxmas

How sad that the BBC, which produced the brilliant and authentic Miss Marple series, should offer this week, poorly acted, clumsily directed piece. The acting is what you might expect from an early rehearsal in a school play with absolutely no fluidity. The actors all speak as if they have only just learned their lines. Whereas as the early Miss Marple series brilliantly captures the feel and the detail of the 1950s era in which it was set, this offering completely fails to get the viewer to believe that they are there. Many of the characters are just crude caricatures (I grew up in a remote English village in the fifties, and knew the real vicars, squires, lords, retired majors etc) and just add to the overall disbelief. BBC had an opportunity to prove that it could make really solid period drama and make it feel real, and they have failed on every count.

You may not understand this film if you are (i) not English (ii) not old and (iii) haven't suffered a life threatening illness. As I can tick all three boxes I can say that this was a deeply moving and very true-to-life film. Bill Nighy is probably the only actor who could carry off this part with such verisimilitude, and watching him as his persona changes as the events of the film unfold is a hugely satisfying experience. The complete antithesis of 'in-your-face' acting, his understated portrayal of an emotionally isolated Englishman is perfect, as is his gentle and totally believable metamorphosis into a warmer version of that man.

Aimee Lou Wood was wonderful in the 'Chirpy, down to earth English girl' role , but again it was not overdone, and she was the perfect counterfoil to Nighy.

I found watching this film to be a quietly emotional experience and without ramming them down your throat it carried so many sensible messages. It's the sort of film you watch again and again even though you know the whole plot, because you just want to relish the quiet perfection of the acting.

As someone who has suffered from trauma of a different type I can say that this movie was just so realistic in it's portrayal: the flip-flopping between "I'm OK", complete denial, tears and "Where the hell am I?!?" is phenomenally acted out by Ms. Ortega. I actually found it very cathartic to watch this. It doesn't try to ram a political message down your throat, but instead it invites you to consider the consequences of this all-too-common-in-America tragedy. A very moving film which I will watch many more times and which I would thoroughly recommend as an antidote to the banality ad shallowness of most films today. If you want a film that explores and portrays true emotions, this is the one for you.