Summary:
After committing a crime, a nihilistic man flees Manchester to go stay in London with his ex-girlfriend while he revaluates his life and philosophies.
My Thoughts:
Mike Leigh continues to impress me not only because of the incredible performances he gets out of his actors, but also his versatility and his willingness to tackle topics that others would rather leave alone. Though I would call this film a comedy/drama the themes are quite nihilistic, and the overall message is incredibly bleak. This is definitely the roughest of Leigh’s films that I’ve seen, but it’s also one that cut incredibly deep. If Leigh is good at one thing it’s emotionally connecting with the audience; making them feel what he wants them to feel. This is one of the blackest comedies I’ve seen; it’s brilliantly conceived and executed, but it wont be for everyone. As a trigger warning; there are several scenes of rape in this film (and also a fair amount of language). The scenes end rather quickly, but they are all done in a way that further emphasizes the themes that Leigh is trying to make. This was a controversial film when it came out, and I believe it probably still would be considered controversial today. Take that as you will, and please consider my warning if you are sensitive to this type of material before watching this film.
“We’re not f***ing important. We’re just a crap idea!”
After committing a rape, Johnny (David Thewlis, “The Big Lebowski”) flees Manchester for London. Because he has nowhere else to go, he heads to his ex-girlfriend Louise’s (Lesley Sharp, “From Hell”) home, but finds that she isn’t there. Louise’s roommate Sophie (Katrin Cartlidge, “Breaking the Waves”) is home however, so Johnny begins flirting with her. After a while Louise returns home to find the two of them slightly drunk; they talk for a while but eventually Johnny goes to bed with Sophie. The next day, after a series of events where Sophie continuously follows her around, Johnny gets violent in bed and then, out of frustration, takes to the streets of London, where he goes on an odyssey of nihilistic philosophies. Meanwhile, a man with a God-complex named Jeremy (Greg Cruttwell, “George of the Jungle”) inflicts his rage on whomever he comes across.
As far as story goes, this film is extraordinarily simple; really, it’s meant to be more of analysis on the current state of human existence. I believe that with this movie, Leigh was trying to say that he believes in God, but he also believes God created Earth and left us alone forever. That in the absence of God, man has become mercilessly needlessly cruel to one another; even the ones we love we treat poorly. The film ends on a note that says there is no hope; humanity will go on limping on in its pitiful existence, begging for the end of the world to come soon. So… yeah… not a happy film, but it’s a film I’m extraordinarily glad I watched. Why? Well, in a way, it gives me a sense of solidarity. It shows that all of us on Earth are suffering, and just trying to make it by, and that all of us have days where- even if we do trust in God- we might feel like he’s abandoned us sometimes.
The characters are something that is absolutely incredible. Johnny is a strange character; he seems to be searching for happiness, but he’s constantly obsessed with the passage of time and how maybe his best times have already passed. Throughout the film, Johnny and Louise continuously refer to their times back in Manchester with a sort of reverence, as if they believe the days past might’ve been the peak of their life. Returning to Manchester becomes sort of a theme for memories long past, and a longing for times were simpler and more innocent. Johnny is also incredibly impulsive; he tells lies without reason, and there are multiple times when he’s rough with women. He’s a character that is full of raw energy and emotion, but he doesn’t seem to know how to control himself. Johnny is unbelievably smart, but he puts his brains towards reading about end of the world, and theorizing about what is to come (again, the themes of past and future). Perhaps one of my favorite scenes of the film was when Johnny is let into an office building by the security guard named Brian (Peter Wight, Another Year) because it’s cold outside. The two get to talking, and soon the two find out that they are kindred spirits; they both share a liking for the works of Nostradamus, and both of them have theories about how the world will end. But as the two continuing spouting their philosophy, Johnny eventually goes on a rant about how everything is utterly hopeless and meaningless, and we just see the life sink out of Brian’s body, and he looks utterly defeated. Johnny almost seems to be thrilled with the way Brian reacts, for he continues preaching his sermon for another few scenes, each time, Brian seems more melancholy. It’s like even when people treat Johnny with respect and dignity, he can’t help trying to make them feel terrible about the state of the world. Louise is an interesting character too; she continuously allows Johnny to torment her and make mistakes and then will allow him back into her life without a moment’s hesitation. It’s both sad and intriguing from a character perspective. Sophie is a person that so many horrible things happen to her that you can’t help but hope someone comes along to save her. She’s continuously used and abused by both Johnny and Jeremy in this movie and it’s incredibly hard to watch. I felt almost as if she was masochistic in the way she follows Johnny around after he first is rough with her; she doesn’t seem to care what kind of relationship she’s in as long as someone is giving her attention- even if it’s abusive attention. There are a few times in this film where comments about violence against women are uttered that made me feel a little squeamish- particularly one where one character asks another if they suppose some women might enjoy being raped. Again, while this is a prominent topic in this film, if you view the topic from a metaphorical and thematic standpoint, it makes sense in the context of the story. Man is horrible to each other; that is Leigh’s entire point.
Verdict:
(SOME SPOILERS) Near the end of the film, Louise and Sophia’s other roommate, Sandra (Claire Skinnner, “Life is Sweet”) returns from a trip in Africa to find the apartment in a state of disarray. She wanders around asking what happened, and Louise responds that things just got out of hand. The film seems to making allusions that Sandra’s return to the apartment is like God’s eventual return to Earth, and how shocked he’ll be when he sees what the world is like after leaving us alone so long. After Louise leaves for work, Johnny flirts with Sandra, and Sandra responds that she’s had enough. And Johnny agrees, they both wonder when the world will end. (SPOILERS END)
This is a bleak but powerful film about the hopelessness of the human condition, and while I don’t entirely agree with what Leigh is trying to say with this film, I cannot deny that the way he said it was incredibly eye opening and real, and it’s a film that deserves to be seen and appreciated. I urge caution to easily offended viewers, but if you can appreciate this film for more than the content, and look at what it is trying to say with it’s overall message, this movie can be incredibly powerful.
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