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United Kingdom 2005
Directed by
Neil Hunter/Tom Hunsinger
96 minutes
Rated MA

Reviewed by
Sharon Hurst
4 stars

Lawless Heart

Synopsis: When Stuart dies in a boating accident, his funeral becomes a meeting place and catalyst for change in the lives of three men. Dan (Bill Nighy), Stuart's brother-in-law meets a French woman and begins to entertain the prospect of an affair; Nick (Tom Hollander), Stuart's lover and co-partner in a restaurant, grieves then takes the plunge with a new kind of relationship, and Tim (Douglas Henshall), a distant cousin, intrudes on everyone's life and ventures into unfamiliar emotional territory

It all sounds so ordinary, but in many ways the most extraordinary films are based around the everyday lives of ordinary people grappling with pain, loss and lack of direction. This film is a breath of fresh air in that its scripting is wonderful - from the outset we totally engage with and relate to these characters - no false notes are struck in their wonderful conversations. Conversation is indeed at the heart of this film, and the intriguingly dead-pan Bill Nighy, is nothing short of marvellous when, with Corrine (Clementine Celarie), he speculates as to whether he's been depressed all his life but wouldn't really know how to tell! Nighy plays so well the sort of indecisive character to whom life just happens. Hollander is at once wryly amusing and pathetic as Nick, the grieving lover who discovers an attraction for local check-out chick Charlie (Sukie Smith). Tim Henshall is perhaps more at the heart of the film than anyone. He seems to simultaneously use everyone around him and yet brings a certain freshness and joie de vivre to their lives.

Certain themes run throughout the dialogue - freedom and walls, whether the life you have is the one you want and the concept that change only eventuates as a result of crisis and courage. What makes this film especially fascinating is its intricate structure, developed in three parts, each of which emphasises one of the men. The second and third segments cover some of the material already seen in the first third, but expands and explains more the hidden incidents and interrelationships of the characters. The women in the film are all in some ways central to the men's lives, and particularly impressive is the performance of Ellie Haddington as Dan's wife, Judy, an overly-serious and pragmatic woman who encapsulates the predictable solidity that makes Dan tempted to stray.

Set in beautiful Essex countryside, the film has many visually striking scenes, enriched by a lovely bitter-sweet score, aspects that underline the contradictoriness of life; that amidst all the sadness there is still humour, love and a path for those who want to "go for it".

 

 

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