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| Mary (Lesley Manville) in Another Year. |
By John Esther
In the latest film by esteemed British writer-director Mike Leigh (Naked; Vera Drake; Happy-Go-Lucky), the family unit is tight but woe to those surrounding it.
Gerri (Ruth Sheen) and Tom (Jim Broadbent) make for a happily married couple of many years. They have a son, Joe (Oliver Martman), who comes to visit mum and dad on occasion. He is not married and neither are Gerri and Tom's unstable friends, Mary (Lesley Manville) and Ken (Peter Wright), whose chronic imbibing only makes them less charming than when they are sober. Unmarried Mary and bachelor Ken are rather envious of Gerri and Tom, though Mary is far more obvious about it. She is so desperate to be a part of the family she flirts hard with Joe and when he brings an adorable girlfriend, Katie (Karina Fernandez), one autumn day – to the surprise of his parents -- Mary is rude to Katie. Fortunately, Katie can hold her own, which makes Mary look even stupider.
Broken into seasons, Another Year is marked by typical traits of a Mike Leigh film: solid direction, snappy dialogue, solid acting from many Leigh regulars, and characters who never know when to shut up. Unfortunately, this is nowhere as good as his other films. It might be Leigh's worst film. That is not the worst thing you can ever say about a film by a filmmaker as efficient and prolific as Leigh, but it is disappointing. Some of the dialogue is contrived, especially an exchange between Mary and Tom's brother, Ronnie (David Bradley), which is downright exasperating. And Manville's performance as ditzy, disheveled drunk is way over the top.
However, in a season full of films with distressed couples (Little Rose; Rabbit Hole; Blue Valentine; The Tourist)) and lonely people (Aftershock; Black Swan; Somewhere; Biutiful; True Grit) filmgoers searching for a happy family in a film – beyond those Hollywood Little Fockers films – do not need to wait another year.
