When Mary visits at the end, it's clear that she has recently offended Gerri in some major way. She says, "this is my family". Did Mary make a pass at Tom or try to break up her son's relationship with Katie? I am just curious, because it's not really stated....only strongly implied.
shareWhat I see is that Mary although works with Gerri and has the occasional drink with her, Mary seems to be invited to the Hepple household around every three months. The first part of the film Mary remarks that she hasn't seen Tom since Christmas. They are in Spring and Mary was invited to dinner. She drank too much and was maudlin about her past love life. Gerri commented that she gets worse (my thought every time she gets drunk). Next time "Summer", Mary was restrained as she had bought her car which was going to liberate her and made her feel special. She thinks of herself as the "hot" chick. Two glasses of wine and she does think she has a chance with the son. Don't forget her trying to ask him out for a drink (without his mother)Gerri's face says it all. Then the straw that broke the camel's back, her sheer rudeness to Katie, Joe's girlfriend, at afternoon tea in Autumn, Tom saying later that night, "When are you going to invite her next? By Gerri's reaction the answer was "never". That's when Mary over stepped the line. The very instrument of her independence (her car) let her down which we all know was to her everybody else's fault and not hers. Also she invited herself to help Ronnie, Why? She was wanting a "family" unfortunately went about it the wrong way. She really had no right to turn up unannounced, She was in her 50's and should deal with it. As Gerri says, "you should take responsibility for your own actions".
Hope that helps:-)
BlueSkies
Thanks....that makes sense, as a kind of culmination of everything Mary has done.
In the end, I think we're supposed to see Mary as a tragic figure. You're right...that car was a symbol of her independence and her attempt to make a "new life" for herself. The fact that it breaks down is, of course, symbolic of Mary in general. We see Mary really trying to better her life, but her insecurity and her jealousy get the best of her, in the end. Instead of simply befriending this family, she intrudes and tries to ingratiate herself into it.
Still, I was surprised that Gerri and Tom turned out to be as cold as they were. Gerri was shown as very sympathetic in the beginning of the film, mainly due to her career and the fact that her primary role is to help people....and help struggling people at that. But does she really help Mary? Does she enable Mary to be dependent on her? She doesn't seem to truly care and there's a lot of selfishness at her core. Tom seems to be mainly good for nothing more than rolling his eyes.
So, in a way, I think Mary is the only true honest person in the film. Well, her and her elderly suitor in the end :)
Great film....and one that leaves you talking long after it's done.
I agree with you but don't think that Gerri and Tom were that "cold" to her. It seems that they had a lot to put up with her and her very rude childish behaviour was what tipped the scales. I know that Tom rolling his eyes a lot but I put that down to him being a man and putting up with a "fruit loop" friend of his wife. Don't forget just how much the drama queen Mary is. Having a friend just like Mary I can tell you that no matter what advice you may give or try to give will go straight over the top and wouldn't be listened not taken in even after they ask for your opinion. They are in their own little world which revolves around them. They are exhausting. I think her finally being subdued in the final scene might make her see sense and take Gerri's advice and see someone professional.
I agree to about being a great film and one that still has people commenting on long after its first release.
BlueSkies
Yes, I agree....it's hard to tell where Mary begins and ends...and where the impatience finally takes its toll on Tom and Gerri. It seems they never REALLY were "all in" with her, though they are quite cordial at the start of the film and it's all downhill from there.
I agree that Mary seems to have reached some sort of tipping point at film's end. At least, we hope so. She takes a back seat for the first time, doesn't try to dominate a conversation, and is silent. There is a lot of sadness there, but perhaps some realization as well.
I am a bit puzzled by the character of Joe and his thoughts on Mary. At first, he seems very hesitant with her aggressiveness towards him...but later, he approaches her and seems more interested (out in the garden, if memory serves). Was he just interested for a 'one time thing' or was he leading her on? That was one of the only moments that had me a bit confused.
Seems like you have a passion for this film....very cool. I enjoy the works of Mike Leigh, though I find them somewhat indulgent at times. I wasn't a big fan of "Secrets and Lies". Loved "Happy Go Lucky", on the other hand, and his first couple of films. Haven't seen "Topsy Turvy".
Hi, in one of my other posts I did mention if Joe had a crush on Mary when he was young. When she met Joe he was ten and I would have guessed that she would have been in her 30's. She said to him that he wouldn't show her his books then. In the garden I think he was humouring her and I very much doubt if he had anything else on his mind other than she is his Mother's friend. When Mary suggested that they go for a drink just the two of them, Gerri's face says it all and I think even Joe was taken aback.
The only other Mike Leigh movie I've seen is Vera Drake as a lot was said about Imelda Stauton's cameo role in Another Year. The consensus was that Imelda's character was probably similar to Ronnie's poor struggling late wife.
BlueSkies
Aaah yes, Vera Drake. I believe Imelda got an Oscar nomination for that one? That is one I'd like to see.
I remember a reference in the movie from Joe, being that he was 10 and when he first knew Mary, etc. It may have been Mary who mentioned it...I'm not quite sure. One thing is for sure...Mary mistakes Joe's friendliness for real interest. We want to reach out and slap her and wake her up...which is a credit both to Mike Leigh and Lesley Manville. What a brilliant performance she gave. As an audience, we feel all emotions towards her...disgust, empathy, sadness.
Leigh does an amazing job of bringing out the best in his actors and allowing them the freedom to improvise. I wonder how much of "Another Year" is improvised. If it's like past Leigh films, a lot of it would be unscripted.
I doubt Mary "mistakes" anything from Joe - he's clearly uncomfortable with her attitude.
Anything else that might be in her mind is wishful thinking, not a reaction to anything he said or did.
Perhaps we do want to "reach out and slap her", but I'm not sure it's to "wake her up."
She is, in fact, the *least* honest person in the film.
SkiesAreBlue, your comment really struck me as did the movie which I saw yesterday for the first time. Why? Because, like you, I have a friend just like Mary. A sad sack, completely self-absorbed who uses her friends as therapists, all the while denying that she desperately needs help. You use the term "drama queen" and say that these friends are "exhausting." 100% correct! Like Gerri, I've been dealing with this friend for more than ten years. And she gets worse and worse. I finally just got fed up. She wore me out. I didn't know anything about the plot of "Another Year" but when I watched it yesterday I thought "Has Mike Leigh been spying on me and my relationship with this friend?" He's an amazing writer and director. You won't find people more real and true to life than the characters in a Mike Leigh movie.
shareAgreed, Roulin. I rented "All or Nothing" and look forward to watching it tonight.
shareI agree that they are not cold. You call it cold when people continually keep including someone as they do? Complimenting her, sympathizing, and listening over and over? Now, my father was rough, at least in my younger years. . He would have told Mary it was a bad time and asked her to come back another time when she just showed up at the door and the family had plans. He did to friends of mine whose parents were much more welcoming to me.
Ronnie's plight was the first time Mary seemed to make an effort for someone else. When she says the Ronnie seems nice, I don't know whether it's a blink of warmth or just another bad call, as he seems even more cold and uncommunicative than just about anyone. But maybe she's learning how to hide and watch to see better how she could make a contribution, instead of take, take, take. Or maybe others are right and she is just falling down into the rabbit hole.
I think it shows someones true colours doesnt it, when someone turns up unanounced and they dont like it.
They cant be true friends they are quite disloyal,
as someone said somewhere in this message board, Tom and Gerri tend to people like they tend to their vegetables, every season. They invite Mary round, but only each season - but if she dared come round any other time without an invite, then thats intruding and she has no right to.
If I ever visited a friend of mine, and received a cold welcome etc then Id be very hurt and infact that did happen, I went to visit a relative of mine, who Id know all my life, and just because I didnt let them know in advance, I got a really cold response at the door and even though I was invited in, it felt funny, and Ive never actually been back again, and that was about 10 years ago!
Ok some people are probably not as sensitive as me, but I do think Tom and Gerri were not as good people as they should have been.
Agreed. Note how in those early scenes, Tom is pretty much rolling his eyes at nearly everything Mary has to say. He and Gerri have a subtle air of condescension about them.
I'm not saying Mary is an easy cup of tea. She's bloody difficult. But Tom and Gerri seemed somewhat "fake" to me and not genuine. Mary, for all her faults, wears her true colors on her sleeve.
I think it shows someones true colours doesnt it, when someone turns up unanounced and they dont like it.
I really disagree with this. If a couple doesn't like someone showing up unannounced, that says something about THEM? The brother's wife has just died and they are coping with that, and they were planning a dinner with just family. They come home to find someone has shown up unplanned -- someone who is being self-absorbed AGAIN, who was inappropriate and rude the last time she was there and because of that, they have distanced themselves from her. They have a right to be annoyed she just showed up. Mary is the one who doesn't come off well here, as throughout the film.
They cant be true friends they are quite disloyal
They have put up with Mary's crap for years. Even though this was not a good time for her to just show up, they still let her stay. How was that disloyal? Seems quite loyal to me. For Mary's part, how has SHE been a true, loyal friend? What does she bring to the relationship? She only takes, and does no giving, because she is incapable. It's all about her.
You must be the change you seek in the world. -- Gandhi
Mary is like a needy leech. She must decide for herself whether she will change.
share"If I ever visited a friend of mine, and received a cold welcome etc then Id be very hurt and infact that did happen, I went to visit a relative of mine, who Id know all my life, and just because I didnt let them know in advance, I got a really cold response at the door and even though I was invited in, it felt funny, and Ive never actually been back again, and that was about 10 years ago!"
Did you try to shag their son at a dinner party?
Gerri was shown as very sympathetic in the beginning of the film, mainly due to her career and the fact that her primary role is to help people....and help struggling people at that. But does she really help Mary? Does she enable Mary to be dependent on her? She doesn't seem to truly care and there's a lot of selfishness at her core.
Yes, completely agree. Even the title, "Another Year" implies a sameness and repetition through Tom and Gerri's eyes. Like, "Here We Go Again", dealing with these fools :)
shareGerri was blind to the pain Mary was going through (Mary seemed to be her own worst enemy)
No, she wasn't blind to Mary's pain, she suggested Mary talk to a therapist. Mary chose not to and thus is still in misery. Gerri can't make Mary change.
and when Mary really needed a friend, Gerri didn't have the time or patience for her.
Gerri didn't have the time or the patience for Mary because she was coping with a death in the family. Why is Gerri expected to be a saint? It was a bad time for Mary to just show up. It would have been even if they were still on good terms, which they are not any more, because of Mary's atrocious behavior the last time she was there. As for "she really needed a friend", this occasion is no different than all the other times we have seen Mary over the past year. Mary always takes and takes, and after a while, someone who has tried to help doesn't have any more to give. Gerri is not the "bad guy" here for having reached that point.
You must be the change you seek in the world. -- Gandhi
^I thought Gerri was a therapist?
When did I say Gerri should be a "saint"?
What did Mary do that was so "atrocious"?
Gerri said Mary (her friend) was a "bloody nuisance". Glad I don't have friends like that.
Gerri is a therapist, but that is not her role with Mary. Mary is not her client. Therapists are not supposed to have people as clients that they have a social relationship with, which is why Gerri suggested Mary see someone (else).
Mary's atrocious behavior was her very rude behavior when she met the son's girlfriend. She was really out of line. So much so that she had not been invited back to Tom and Gerri's. They didn't want to be friends with her any more. So when Gerri talked about Mary being a bloody nuisance, she wasn't referring to a friend. She was referring to someone they used to consider a friend, but but not any more, but who had showed up anyway, uninvited, at a personally bad time for them. It would take a saint to NOT consider Mary's showing up as a nuisance, and I don't think Gerri deserves criticism for having the reaction she did.
You must be the change you seek in the world. -- Gandhi
^So Mary makes one mistake and Gerri dumps her?
shareLOL. No, it was simply the last straw. Most people would not have put up with Mary for as long as Tom and Gerri did.
You must be the change you seek in the world. -- Gandhi
What I took from this film, having just now seen it, is that possibly Mike Leigh meant for things to not be quite as black-and-white as some people on this thread are seeing it to be.
Leigh is a very good and rather crafty filmmaker and storyteller. He presents to us, at first glance, a "nice" middle-aged couple who "seem" to be the soul of decentness. He also presents to us a woman who has not found the happiness they have, who comes across as a wreck, a loser, and desperate for a little love and acceptance.
Leigh pulls a little moral trick on us. Are we, the viewers, meant to wholely like and sympathize with the lovely couple who are put-upon by their miserable, self-absorbed friend, the loser?
Or....are we perhaps meant to stretch ourselves a little and start seeing the failings in this couple instead of JUST the failings in that loser friend of theirs?....
This story is not as straightforward as it seems, and neither are our reactions ideally meant to be.
One word: compassion. It turns out, Tom and Gerri have very little.
Let me tell you something about people like Mary. They were not always that way, and they don't just get that way entirely by failings of their own. Some Marys in life have believed they were doing all they could to build a "normal" life in which they could reasonably expect for the same simple, ordinary rewards and happiness that most people manage to achieve, such as a stable and lasting bond with a partner, a family life, a home, stability, companionship and security.
Well the problem is, you don't have to be some crack addict horror story to find that you've made mistakes even when you didn't think you were doing so, and the end results are that your life gets harder and harder to make into something that you like and feel contentment with.
I have compassion for the Marys of this world because I know that their journey to becoming "self absorbed, selfish, inconsiderate, bad friends, takers not givers, desperate, jealous" -- and all the other harsh judgements people on this thread throw at them -- has not ALL been of their own choosing, and that sometimes life throw monkey wrenches at people less able to cope, that it just happens not to throw at luckier people who manage to dodge certain turns of events.
Even being not quite neurotypical -- perhaps not Asberger's but something hovering around the border which NOBODY suspects, not even the "Mary" herself, can be responsible for a person's life, friendships and relationships going awry and falling short of fulfilling, even while the person themselves is in pain wondering why.
You -- and Gerri -- accuse of Mary of "not taking responsibility" -- but from what I can see, in her life she HAS. She worked abroad extensively once. She bought her car in a proactive move to gain some freedoms and autonomies that a car can bring, especially to a person on her own. Yes perhaps she should have picked less dodgy geezers to buy the car from, as it sounds like it was a dodgy car from the start.
But all this endless blaming of Mary starts to feel like a "blame the victim" set of judgements on a woman who is the wreck she is partly because of a chicken-and-egg scenario: well loved people become even more lovable people because they're getting what they need emotionally. Needy people become even needier people because they're not loved enough, by anyone, and it becomes a vicious circle.
Mary is a woman who is in a downward spiral and yes, nobody can really help her but herself, but the things in life that have gone wrong for her are NOT ALL HER FAULT ALL OF THE TIME. And it now doesn't help that she's branded a pathetic fool by the very people who are supposed to be her friends and who, if they extended some GENUINE compassion toward her instead of the cold barely-tolerating bull *beep* they hand her, might actually help this woman to feel loved enough by someone that she can climb into a better headspace in the first place.
What I saw in this film was indeed coldness on the part of Tom and Gerri. There's no genuine caring there. Even the nicer-than-nice new girlfriend makes "kill me now" gestures jokingly and behind the wall when she hears that the dreaded Mary is there. And this woman too is in the "caring professions"??
Mike Leigh is showing us a portrait of hypocrisy. He's SHOWING us that coldness can live where it is purportedly not thought to be, and that some part of the isolation of others does lie in the short shrift they get from the smug and the fortunate. And you guys have fallen for it and are as bad as the people in this film.
An excellent and intelligent post which echoes my feelings having just watched this.
Thank you, qpw3141. You and I seem to be in the minority here on this board, regarding the plight of Mary. I've been quite shocked at the hardheartedness of people here.
I just saw a post on a completely different board, where someone was mocking a well known person for their failings, someone who clearly was not stable, and a very decent person replied back something like "I'm not comfortable with mocking troubled people."
That's what it comes down to. A character like Mary is clearly a troubled person who is caught in the vicious cycle that that engenders, and instead of bringing pity and concern from both her fictional friends and these real life people on this board, it brings only the villagers engaging in stone-throwing, figuratively speaking. That's sad, because one realizes that even though this is a fictional character, this smug coldness is being applied to real life Marys.
I never cease to be amazed at how judgemental people are on the internet.
If you look at all the posts about this film, not a single character gets away without someone deriding them in the strongest terms for something.
Some people seem to believe that others should behave perfectly at all times and never suffer from any human weaknesses.
[deleted]
Nope, I don't think we were to see fault with Tom and Gerri.
"She worked abroad extensively once."
She was a cocktail waitress for a year in the Greek isles.
"it now doesn't help that she's branded a pathetic fool by the very people who are supposed to be her friends"
Why are they supposed to be her friends?
She's only someone that Gerri works with, not a close childhood friend. There is no indication that Gerri and Mary ever had any closer relationship than co-workers who might see each other outside work a few times a year.
"the nicer-than-nice new girlfriend makes "kill me now" gestures jokingly and behind the wall when she hears that the dreaded Mary is there"
Why shouldn't she? Mary was a catty b---h to her the first time they met.
"What I saw in this film was indeed coldness on the part of Tom and Gerri. There's no genuine caring there."
What about how they care for Ronnie, or how Gerri cares for her patients?
"Mike Leigh is showing us a portrait of hypocrisy. He's SHOWING us that coldness can live where it is purportedly not thought to be, and that some part of the isolation of others does lie in the short shrift they get from the smug and the fortunate. And you guys have fallen for it and are as bad as the people in this film."
No he's not, no we didn't, and no we're not.
I find it hard to believe that Mary asking Joe to call her for a drink was overstepping to the point that Gerri would say as she did "it's my family." Mary'a rudeness at the house was not that bad, at least not what was shown.
A lot can be forgiven for Mary because she was always drunk. Classic alcoholism. On that first day, before Katie, Joe comes out to talk to Mary at the little house doesn't he?
She doesn't seek him out. And we see in the conversation that she sees herself as eternally young and slim and he sees her as old. What a shock to Mary. I thought he was trying to be very truthful to her, but it went over her head.
So, I can't believe that Gerri would turn from Mary based on the day that Mary meets Katie.
Surely it was more than that.
And yet Katie acts so weird that last day, strangling herself with the scarf, being melodramatic! So something happened, but like a lot of writer/directors, they want us to basically write the movie for them, by saying to audience "you figure out what Mary did."
just because the writer can't put it down on paper what in the world would end the friendship that way, doesn't make the writing super special!
I agree, that Mary was a true portrait of a person in pain. Gerri was very superficial, always keeping something back and Tom was ok, but he too needed to stop drinking!! Gerri and Tom were supposed to be a pic of marital bliss and balance, and yet they were surely problem drinkers themselves. I have never seen so much drinking. Gerri was someone I hope Never to meet or be friends with. from the very beginning it was obvious she thought she was better than Mary!
What a bunch of nincompoops. Joe was ok, but how he could stand that Katie is beyond me. She was way too over the top, she made me cringe everytime she opened her mouth. Always so upbeat, never normal in her opinions. When people are like that, they are trying too hard.
Prelude - your analysis is so well-argued that it is difficult to resist, and it has made me think about this film in a different light, but ultimately I feel you are too hard on Tom and Gerri. I think they are both compassionate and sympathetic but have simply had enough of Mary's behaviour. It happens.
Gerri knows that while a person in need can be helped, ultimately change can only happen if that person makes the decision. Mary is not a child but she displays childlike behaviour, and it could be argued that Tom and Gerri respond as firm but fair parents would.
There seems to be a widespread belief that because Tom and Gerri were Mary's friends, and because Gerri worked in a caring profession, the needs of Mary should take precedence over all other considerations. This simply doesn't stand up in the real world. T&G are normal people whose family comes first but who nonetheless tend towards the compassionate end of the spectrum.
This is definitely the thread to post an opinion on if you have engaged with the film and given thought as to what the characters are about, as the film is a psychologists' playground.
The protagonist is Mary, yes she's annoying throughout but its apparent she is weak and her main characteristic is her childlikeness. I would almost compare it to autism (I know she doesn't have it) whereby she is ruled by her irrationality. This becomes coupled with her inability to have luck in her life, with one thing happening after another. I don't see how anyone can not empathise with her, giving her explicit heartache.
However, as established firmly in the beginning, Gerri is a councillor, it's her day job and she does have a degree of resilience to situations because of it. She seems to take a back seat, and whilst she has always been there for Mary, Tom's Brother and others in the film, she never exclusively becomes a 'warm' person and doesn't let her guard down. She's always in councillor mode which is probably why she was one of my least favourite characters.
I would say Tom's brother is more compassionate than her even, having sat down and listened to Mary, and just given her the time of day, face to face. That's really all she needs and she expresses that she hasn't had it with Gerri, given that she rarely visits. So Gerri's irritation with her unexpected arrival is a little unfair, however her character has never loosened to anything other that a hostess, so her cold attitude to Mary at the end does not surprise me. In an ideal world Tom would be Mary's best friend and Joe her husband, but this is Mike Leigh after all.
I think Prelude's theory a few posts back is spot on. Tom and Gerri are certainly hardly the face of evil, but there's a definite coldness there. If you've seen the film once, see it again and watch them closely. Notice the rolling of the eyes, the way they silently mock Mary, and how they choose to become engaged with her only when it serves THEM.
The first time I saw the film, I also looked down on Mary and thought she was a loose cannon. The second time, I noticed little things....the way her broken down car symbolizes her failed attempts to 'jump start' her life. She's trying but she can't get it done. Clearly, Mary is a sympathetic if not deeply flawed character. She attempts to change.
Will Tom and Gerri ever change? "Another Year", the title alone, suggests not.
"You're telling me the future is video and not film?"
I've seen the film many times and I think people are being hard on Gerri and Tom, Gerri particularly. But what Mary does to them is wrong and crosses a line of friendship. She flirts, innocently at first, with their son and then actually begins to hit on him during that picnic. Next, she meets his girlfriend and is completely and blatantly rude to her. She degrades Katie's identity and her work right in front of the very people she is trying to impress for the first time. So reasonably, Gerri and Tom are upset.
And guess what? They still take her in!! She shows up unannounced and guess what...they still take her in! Gerri explains, politely but firmly, why she is disappointed in Mary. When Mary apologizes, Gerri hugs her and comforts her. She suggests counseling because she wants to see Mary happy. And then guess what happens next...Mary makes a passing "Ronnie's pretty nice, isn't he?" Comment. Mary is clueless and shameless! And Gerri picks up on that comment and instead of kicking her out of the house, let's her stay for dinner. They feed her! They engage in conversation with her. In short, they show compassion to her. If you are able to show compassion even when you are annoyed with someone, my hats off to you.
Please do not think I lack compassion for Mary. Thanks to manville's amazing performance, you want to keep giving Mary chances. Until that scene with Katie and then you know she's crossed a line. You can explain her behavior (she just wants to be loved) but that doesn't excuse her rudeness.
And if you do watch the movie several times, there are more hints to suggest that it is Mary who is using Gerri and Tom to feel better about herself. Notice the look of jealousy and resentment on Mary's face when Tom tells Gerri "I still think you're gorgeous" after Gerri mentions she's gained weight. Mary resents the fact that fat Gerri can have a loving husband over the slim Mary. Then, when she's getting drunk in the living room, she tells Gerri that she can always go to her if she needs to talk to someone. That's not a genuine invitation, it's a lure to get Gerri to confess to something or admit that she is also sad and lonely. That will make mary feel better about herself.
Mary is a truly sad character and you hope she finds the happiness she deserves. You hope ken finds the happiness they deserve. But Tom and Gerri have worked hard on their happiness. And you see the results with two compassionate people, who yes, may roll their eyes at the silly antics of their friends, but who do love them. But they will not let anyone hurt their family. And that's perfectly reasonable. Mary is lucky at the end that they let her stay for supper. She's lucky to have friends like them.
You can explain her behavior (she just wants to be loved) but that doesn't excuse her rudeness.And I think this here hit the nail on the proverbial head. Mary is a sympathetic character. She's clearly in a lot of pain and has been struggling through life for a long time. And it's quite possible, or probable, that there are some legitimate and significant psychological issues going on. We know little about her early life, but we can surmise that things have been rather stagnant for a long time, and that only exacerbates matters. You want her to get help, and you want her to live a more fulfilling life.
"Tom's brother more compassionate ". He didn't have a choice and his silence wasn't compassion. He just lost his "slave" and to me was staring into space.
Gerrri irritation was unfair? Mary turns up on their doorstep, uninvited, looking like what the cat wouldn't drag in, totally sorry for herself (remember this is a family that just had a death in the family). The last time she was an invited guest, she was extremely rude. I don't know about you but I think I'd be a little "cool" towards her as well.
"In an ideal world Tom would be Mary's best friend (rubbish) and Joe her husband" ??????? Not sure what you are smoking but I don't think I want any 😆
SkiesAreBlue
Not sure how I can add much more to Prelude's analysis of Another Year, but the film also left me cold. More so because the person I went on a date to see it with couldn't quite forgive my lateness to our meeting outside the cinema doors; possibly a reason why I remember this one so well, along with its now notorious ice-cold ending.
Poor desperate Mary. Gerri wasn't a friend (this seems obvious with her never dropping the counselling rhetoric), but Mary was deluded in her loneliness and desperation- let's not forget her isolation contributes to her bad judgement, whereas Gerri is surrounded by love and support only making her look smug when she is concurrently judgemental of Mary's behaviour and indifferent to her feelings. Whether they were friends or not, Gerri's absence of compassion leaves a lot to be desired. I think this film really speaks of connection, or rather lack of, to people outside our families in this modern age.
I was quick to judge Leigh as painting a banal and miserable picture, but the film has stirred a lot of split debate.
http://junkieintheattic.wordpress.com
Not sure how I can add much more to Prelude's analysis of Another Year, but the film also left me cold. More so because the person I went on a date to see it with couldn't quite forgive my lateness to our meeting outside the cinema doors; possibly a reason why I remember this one so well, along with its now notorious ice-cold ending.
Poor desperate Mary. Gerri wasn't a friend (this seems obvious with her never dropping the counselling rhetoric), but Mary was deluded in her loneliness and desperation-