'Another Year' Review

'Another Year' is film set over four Sunday afternoons - one for each season - to detail a year in the life of Tom (Jim Broadbent) and Gerri (Ruth Sheen). Tom and Gerri may be the core pairing in the film, but it is their associations with their friends and relations which builds up the main body of the film. 'Another Year' does not have a great deal of anything going on in it, and is really only a series of conversations between the characters in order for the audience to get to understand these people, and what strongly developed characters they are at that. Despite the fact the film follows this very simple format and is only essentially a series of Sunday afternoon discussions, it is still gripping to watch. This is down to the fantastic performances by the whole cast, but particularly Lesley Manville as Mary.

Manville superbly delivers in the role of Mary, portraying her utterly convincingly as a ditsy drunk but also wowing with her ability to go from this to the empty shell of a woman, who is plagued with loneliness. Manville delivers her best performance during the winter segment of the film, where Mary appears at her friends door to make amends with them, but find Tom's recently widowed brother Ronnie (David Bradley) there instead. The awkward exchanges she makes with Ronnie are so painfully well observed that it often verges on too embarrasing to watch, but you can't look away as the two emotionally drained characters deliver the most poignant scene from the film. Manville is set for a strong chance of scoring some wins during awards season next year.

Broadbent and Sheen are also both excellent as the central couple, there as a shining example of how a marriage works at it's best, something which other characters have failed to make work in their lives. Sheen is both endearing and understanding as Gerri, bringing a great warmth to the character. Broadbent delivers his lines to both Gerri and the other supporting characters with exactly the right balance of wit and wisdom which makes him a very respectable figure in the film.

Mike Leigh has delivered another strong movie to add to his already great repertoire. In this movie he shines in his witty and enteirly original yet relatable screenwriting, and also directs this movie with great precision. He knows exactly what he wants from his actors, and he achieves it with what seems like great ease. The film is also very well shot, showing us the different aspects of of their lives, like the happy times spent at the allotment to the sadness of the dark shell of a home which Ronnie lives in, in doing this the audience gets a hightened understanding of the emptiness of Ronnie's life following the death of his wife.

The only fault in this film is that although it is always fascinating to watch, some scenes felt too long and therfore it felt slightly like it dragged along a little at parts. However, every scene did feel neccessary in order for us to build up an understanding for what these characters were like. With strong performances (enough praise cannot be given to Manville in particular), a strong script and strong direction Leigh has delivered again.

Verdict:
4 Stars