British filmmaker Mike Leigh finds the extraordinary in everyday circumstances, focusing on characters who navigate difficult emotional tasks with a sense of optimism and hope. The happy couple in Another Year is Tom and Gerri Hepple (Jim Broadbent and Ruth Sheen), an elderly pair who love food, gardening, and having friends over for dinner. As most of their acquaintances and family members are sad, lonely people with a penchant for self-destruction, Tom and Gerri serve as an emotional anchor, for better or for worse. It’s as if their happiness is enough to spill over and splash onto their dispirited friends, allowing them to experience a spark of joy, even if only for the duration of a meal. As the film follows the couple through four chapters corresponding to the four seasons, Another Year explores the quiet passing of time in the beautiful mundanity of these content souls. Despite the tumultuous emotional waves surrounding them, the connection Tom and Gerri have fostered is never broken, never wavers—they’ve found some secret to long-term joy, and it shines. – Joel Mayward
- Directed by: Mike Leigh
- Produced by:
- Written by: Mike Leigh
- Music by: Gary Yershon
- Cinematography by: Dick Pope
- Editing by:
- Release Date: 2010
- Running Time: 129
- Language: English
Arts & Faith Lists:
2019 Top 25 — #19