United Kingdom 2010
DIR Mike Leigh
SCR Mike Leigh
CAST Jim Broadbent, Lesley Manville, Ruth Sheen, Stuart McQuarrie, Martin Savage, David Bradley, Peter Wright, Imelda Staunton
Is there any other director who can make ordinary life, ordinary people, ordinary problems as compelling and meaningful as Mike Leigh (Happy-Go-Lucky, Secrets and Lies Very Drake, High Hopes)? In Another Year he takes us through the yearly seasons and the seasons of life with a happily married couple in their autumnal years and in their relationships to family and friends and especially to Mary, a needy, insecure colleague. British filmmakers deal frequently with class status, and inequality. In this fascination example, as A.O. Scott of the New York Times has noted, Leigh is dealing with the unequal distribution of happiness in life.
Extraordinary decision to run the film with the captions for the hearing impaired! Some of the delicate creatures in attendance apparently have complained of not catching all the dialogue in British films. These captions (large yellow on black) include things like [WIND RUSTLING] and [CHUCKLING]! The co-ordinator was sitting in front of me and I asked him if they were necessary. Oh yes says he some people have asked for them. It's like having the film vandalized. Anyway I'd seen it so left in a huff.
