Review of Another Year (2010) by Manish M — 28 Oct 2011

Writer-Director Mike Leigh has always had the knack to script up intriguing British characters, year after year. And as another year passes, he has done it again in the verbally entertaining "Another Year". The movie did earn a deserving Best Original Screenplay nomination. I believe that Leigh is now in the pre-production stage of his next film which focuses on the life of Mel Gibson, it's called "Another Beer". OK, enough. "Another Year" is set during an entire year and its seasons. Its central characters is a happily married British couple in their 50's named Tom & Gerri; they are not too cartoonish in their personalities but they live their lives in appreciation of what they have. Gerri's work colleague Mary is the chattiest character in the movie. She is also in her 50's, single and dealing with a past filled with heartbreaks. She constantly lands in the Tom & Gerri habitat (invited and uninvited) to aid her loneliness and to fill their wine glasses with an abundance of vino. Mary presents herself as a Proud Mary even though she knows she can better herself, and is constantly looking for a revival in her life in the form of a younger lover. One of the targets that Mary seeks or stalks is Joe, Tom & Gerri's polite son who is 20 years her minor. Obviously, with a Leigh flick, one knows that it is not limited to a very small circle of characters. There are a few more eccentric characters that make you chuckle including Ken (played with right stuff by Peter Wright), Tom & Gerri's long-time boozy buddy who also has loneliness & alcohol-dependence issues of his own. Leigh orchestrates and scripts "Another Year" in a simplistic mode which actually develops the narrative as a very authentic product. Jim Broadbent and Ruth Sheen were first rate in their performances as the dependable Tom & Gerri. But this was the thespian show of Lesley Manville with her outstanding performance as Mary. Man o man, why on earth did Manville get snubbed of a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination! Manville's execution of displaying a wide array of complex emotions was a treat to watch; even in those few seconds that she was silent, there was still a lot to say of her character within her facial gestures. It will not take too many "another years" until Manville finally starts bringing home the acting trophies. Some might find "Another Year" boring because it is not another movie that high drama has to happen constantly throughout the narrative, but because of its simplicity and authenticity (and of course Manville's grand performance), it is why I think that you should not wait another day to view "Another Year".

**** Good.