Slant Magazine

Nice review, Ed. I liked "Another Year", but ultimately found it kind of slight and minor. I also detected a sort of quasi Ozu-ian quality in its quiet, unhurried observations about family and relationships—not to mention its evocation of the seasons (apparently "Tokyo Story" is one of Leigh's favorite films).

One point, though. I thought the reason why Tom and especially Gerri were annoyed with Mary was because she was so hostile to Joe's new girlfriend. I hadn't considered that maybe there was some unseen offense (since Gerri's cold phasing-out of Mary did seem kind of extreme), but that's an interesting idea. I actually think the break between Mary and Gerri is one of the more complex dynamics in the film; one that suggests that Mary's isolation and Gerri's contentment can never be bridged, despite the latter's good intentions. My interpretation was that Gerri put up with Mary's borderline-inappropriate come-ons to her son, not to mention her unveiled rudeness to Ken (another lost soul), but the moment Mary tried to scare off Katie (a perfectly nice woman and a genuine prospect for Joe), she was intolerant and unforgiving, hence that line she has about this being her family, which, as that devastating final shot would suggest, Mary finally recognizes she is really not a part of.

I thought this was a very good film, albeit one that could've been a lot better. The main problem I had was that the film was just too "quiet"; a film should at least achieve a crescendo (or even a brief forte) in order to avoid monotony, though I don't think it was as major of a problem here as in other films. What made this film such a standout to me was the acting, specifically an utterly brilliant Lesley Manville, whose performance was undoubtedly the best I saw this year, despite some detractors relegating her to a "supporting" role. I actually think Mary was the thematic center of the film, with all of the other characters actions causing immediate contrast to her middle-aged ambiguity and immaturity. If she doesn't at least receive an Academy Award nomination for this tole I swear to never watch an Oscar telecast as long as I live.

This comment is coming quite late, but I too was perplexed by the seemingly uncomplicated perfection of Tom and Gerri's marriage. I think there's something telling in the contrast between their idyllic dynamic and the variously shitty lives of their friends. Assuming that their nearest and dearest were invited to the summer barbecue, it's pretty bizarre that all their loved ones seem to be in a perpetual state of unhappiness (except perhaps for Tanya, Gerri's work colleague). It suggests that the key to their happiness (particularly Gerri's) comes from always being in the role of adviser and confidant, which in turn feeds the satisfaction that they find together in marriage. This assumption has darker shadings, of course: there is rarely a moment in the movie, outside of a few moments alone together, when the pair aren't actively trying to help someone, or talking about the problems someone else is dealing with—-—even when discussing their son (amongst themselves, with other friends), a fairly balanced, successful character, the conversation always goes back to him being single and alone. I don't want to say that Tom and Gerri thrive on dealing with the misfortune of others. Of course, Gerri is a social worker and psychotherapist, and, as is made clear on Tom's front, and might well be true for Gerri as well, they have both made something of themselves coming from less advantageous backgrounds, so they likely empathize easily with misfortune and lives that are challenging on a day-to-day basis. But surely they have a circle of friends who are happy and relatively successful. Perhaps they do, and they try and keep them separate from their coven of depressive intimates.

Apologies for the length and increasingly rambly nature of post.

Great to read all of the above.

I thought it was very clear that Gerri's coldness to Mary was because of her rudeness to their son's new girlfriend(the girlfriend: gushy,over-familiar on first meeting his parents—some other viewers probably loved her). Time had passed since the event, Mary had not been invited over for quite a while and so took the bold step to arrive unannounced.

I loved this film because it didn't tell you what to think, revealed to me on the way out of the theatre when the woman behind me said to her partner 'what a lovely couple' about Tom and Gerri. I was thinking how awful Gerri was. Yet she wasn't totally awful—hey, just like a real person! They were all so real and complex, that's what I want in a movie.