Review of The Cement Garden (1993) by Ulo M — 23 Nov 2007

Three of the siblings in this adaptation of Ian McEwan's novel are played very well by non-actors, while the fourth is played superbly by Charlotte Gainsbourg. The story revolves around four children left to their own devices after the deaths of their parents. With their desire to stay together undisturbed by the outer world, and with a strong undercurrent of incestuous attraction running between the older brother and sister, it's a pretty good bet this won't be your standard 'kids coping with adversity' flick. Instead, they barely manage to cope with one another as they descend into a sort of domestic anarchy, and Jack and Julie move ever closer to making their desire for each other a reality.

The DVD, currently out of production and commanding ridiculously high prices, is unfortunately of rather poor quality, looking as though it were made from a video copy. Still well worth watching if you can get a hold of a copy.