Sunday, February 26, 2006
The Constant Gardener
Kristen and I just saw one of the best films we have seen in a while, The Constant Gardener.
The film is a smart political thriller and classic love story, a hard combination to do well. Brazilian director Fernando Meirelles mixed the two just right to create a moving and haunting film. He shot much of the film in Nairobi and incorporated the Kenyan landscape and people as important additional characters.
Ralph Fiennes plays the earnest and heartbroken Justin Quayle, and he is at the top of his game. Feinnes plays conflicted characters as well as anyone in the biz, and Rachel Weisz sparkles as his wife, a free-spirited and passionate political activist.
Most movie buffs agree that the overall quality of films has been dropping for the past few years. The Constant Gardener bucks that trend by a film that grabs you by the throat and the heart.
The film is a smart political thriller and classic love story, a hard combination to do well. Brazilian director Fernando Meirelles mixed the two just right to create a moving and haunting film. He shot much of the film in Nairobi and incorporated the Kenyan landscape and people as important additional characters.
Ralph Fiennes plays the earnest and heartbroken Justin Quayle, and he is at the top of his game. Feinnes plays conflicted characters as well as anyone in the biz, and Rachel Weisz sparkles as his wife, a free-spirited and passionate political activist.
Most movie buffs agree that the overall quality of films has been dropping for the past few years. The Constant Gardener bucks that trend by a film that grabs you by the throat and the heart.
