Another Year (film)
Another Year | |
---|---|
Directed by | Mike Leigh |
Written by | Mike Leigh |
Produced by | Georgina Lowe |
Starring | Lesley Manville Jim Broadbent Ruth Sheen |
Cinematography | Dick Pope |
Edited by | Jon Gregory |
Music by | Gary Yershon |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Momentum Pictures (UK) Sony Pictures Classics (US) |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 129 minutes[1] |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Budget | $8 million[2] |
Box office | $18,124,262[3] |
Another Year is a 2010 British comedy-drama film written and directed by Mike Leigh, starring Lesley Manville, Jim Broadbent, and Ruth Sheen. It premiered at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival in competition for the Palme d'Or.[4] The film was shown at the 54th London Film Festival before its general British release date on 5 November 2010.[5] At the 83rd Academy Awards, Mike Leigh was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
Plot
Tom Hepple, a geologist, and Gerri Hepple, a counsellor, are an older married couple who have a comfortable, loving relationship. The film observes them over the course of the four seasons of a year, surrounded by family and friends who mostly suffer some degree of unhappiness. Gerri's friend and colleague, Mary, works as a receptionist at the health centre. She is a middle-aged divorcee seeking a new relationship, and despite telling everyone she is happy, appears desperate and depressed. She often seems to drink too much. The Hepples' only child, Joe, is 30 and unmarried and works as a solicitor giving advice on housing.
In the summer, the Hepples are visited by Ken, Tom's old friend from his student days. Ken is overweight, eats, smokes and drinks compulsively and seems very unhappy. Tom and Gerri host a barbecue in Ken's honour. Mary drives her newly bought car to the party, but gets lost and arrives late. Having had some wine, she flirts with Joe, whom she has known since he was a child. He remains friendly but does not reciprocate the flirtation. After the party, Mary reluctantly gives Ken a lift to the train station. He makes a clumsy romantic advance and Mary irritably rejects him.
Months later, in the autumn, Mary is once again at Tom and Gerri's home. Joe arrives with a new girlfriend, Katie. Mary appears rude and hostile towards Katie, which is not appreciated by Tom and Gerri. This creates a rift between Gerri and Mary.
In the winter, Tom, Gerri, and Joe attend the funeral for the wife of Tom's brother, Ronnie. Towards the end of the service, Ronnie's estranged son, Carl, arrives, and angrily asks why the ceremony was not delayed for him. At the reception at Ronnie's house, Carl becomes aggressive and walks out. Tom and Gerri invite Ronnie back to London to stay with them for a while and Ronnie agrees.
While Tom and Gerri are at their garden allotment Mary arrives unannounced at their home and persuades Ronnie to let her in. Her car has just been written off and she is upset. The two have a cup of tea and a desultory chat before Mary takes a nap on the settee. When Tom and Gerri return they are unhappy to find Mary at their house. Gerri explains to Mary that she feels let down by her earlier behaviour towards Katie. Mary apologises and weeps. Gerri gradually extends a degree of warmth to Mary, suggesting that she should seek professional help and inviting her to stay for dinner, and the two women set the table. Joe and Katie arrive, their relationship still appearing strong and happy. The Hepples enjoy dinner together. Mary eats with them but appears lost and uncertain.
Cast
- Jim Broadbent as Tom Hepple
- Ruth Sheen as Gerri Hepple
- Lesley Manville as Mary Smith
- Peter Wight as Ken
- Oliver Maltman as Joe Hepple
- David Bradley as Ronnie Hepple
- Karina Fernandez as Katie
- Martin Savage as Carl Hepple
- Michele Austin as Tanya
- Philip Davis as Jack
- Stuart McQuarrie as Tom's colleague
- Imelda Staunton as Janet
Production
Because the director's usual producer Simon Channing-Williams died in 2009, Another Year was produced by Georgina Lowe, who had worked regularly on Mike Leigh films since Naked (1993). Thin Man Films led the production together with television channel Film4 and Focus Features International.[6] The project received £1.2 million from the UK Film Council.[7] The production involved a budget of around US$8 million, which Leigh said was "the lowest budget I've had for a long time".[2]
Most of Another Year's key cast members had already worked with the director multiple times. Leigh collaborated with the actors for five months to create their characters and world and to do research. The director employed his usual technique: the actors improvise extensively during rehearsals, and the result of those improvisations becomes the basis of the final script. Principal photography took 12 weeks. To simulate the four seasons of a year, cinematographer Dick Pope used four different film stocks, and much attention was paid to details in the props so that the passage of time would appear believable.[2]
The location used for Tom and Gerri Hepple's house is St Margaret’s Road, Wanstead, East London.[8]
Reception
The film was well received by critics. According to review aggregation website, Rotten Tomatoes, 93% of critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average of 8.2 out of 10 from 154 reviews.[9] The film debuted at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival in competition for the Palme d'Or and although it failed to receive any prizes, it was highly praised by critics,[10][11][12] scoring an 3.4/4 average at Screen International's annual Cannes Jury Grid, which polls international film critics from publications such as Sight & Sound, The Australian, Positif, L'Unità and Der Tagesspiegel.[13]
Wendy Ide of The Times described the film as "Leigh at his confident best" and "a disarmingly humane work", writing, "Mike Leigh shows admirable restraint: there are no manufactured crescendos, just a melancholy refrain that builds to its raw realisation in an achingly sad final shot."[14] Xan Brooks of The Guardian described Another Year as "a rare treat",[15] and Geoffrey Macnab of The Independent described the film as "an acutely well-observed study of needy and unhappy people desperately trying to make sense of their lives."[16]
Accolades
Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
Academy Awards[17] | 27 February 2011 | Best Original Screenplay | Mike Leigh | Nominated |
Belgian Syndicate of Cinema Critics[18] | 8 January 2011 | Grand Prix | Nominated | |
British Academy Film Awards[19] | 21 February 2011 | Best Supporting Actress | Lesley Manville | Nominated |
Best British Film | Nominated | |||
British Independent Film Awards[20] | 5 December 2010 | Best Director | Mike Leigh | Nominated |
Best Actress | Ruth Sheen | Nominated | ||
Best Actor | Jim Broadbent | Nominated | ||
Best Supporting Actress | Lesley Manville | Nominated | ||
Cannes Film Festival[21] | 23 May 2010 | Palme d'Or | Nominated | |
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards[22] | 20 December 2010 | Best Actress | Lesley Manville | Nominated |
European Film Awards[23] | 4 December 2010 | Best Actress | Lesley Manville | Nominated |
Best European Composer | Gary Yershon | Nominated | ||
London Film Critics Circle Awards[24] | 10 February 2011 | Best British Actor | Jim Broadbent | Runner-up |
Best British Actress | Lesley Manville | Won | ||
Best British Actress | Ruth Sheen | Nominated | ||
Best British Director | Mike Leigh | Runner-up | ||
Best British Film | Runner-up | |||
Best British Supporting Actor | David Bradley | Runner-up | ||
Best British Supporting Actor | Peter Wight | Nominated | ||
London Film Festival Awards[25] | 27 October 2010 | Best Film | Nominated | |
National Board of Review Awards[26] | 2 December 2010 | Top Ten Film | Won | |
Best Actress | Lesley Manville | Won | ||
San Diego Film Critics Society Awards[27] | 14 December 2010 | Best Supporting Actress | Lesley Manville | Won |
Best Ensemble Cast | Nominated | |||
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards[28] | 6 December 2010 | Best Original Screenplay | Mike Leigh | Nominated |
References
- ^ "ANOTHER YEAR (15)". British Board of Film Classification. 26 August 2010. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
- ^ a b c Grove, Martin A. (31 December 2010). "Another Year, Another Oscar Nom? Mike Leigh Will Wait and See". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
- ^ "Another Year (2010)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
- ^ "Hollywood Reporter: Cannes Lineup". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 22 April 2010. Retrieved 15 April 2010.
{{cite news}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help); Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Sztypuljak, Dave (9 September 2010). "New Trailer and Images from Mike Leigh's Another Year". HeyUGuys.co.uk. Retrieved 9 September 2010.
- ^ Macnab, Geoffrey (6 May 2010). "Georgina Lowe, producer". Screen. Archived from the original on 29 May 2010. Retrieved 8 May 2010.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Films in production and development awarded funding from the UK Film Council". UK Film Council. 23 February 2010. Retrieved 13 April 2010.
- ^ See Wanstead on film Archived 26 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine Derek Punsalan, Wansteadium, 5-11-2010. Accessed July 2011.
- ^ "Another Year Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
- ^ O'Hehir, Andrew (17 May 2010). "Best of Cannes: Another Year with Mike Leigh". Salon.com. Archived from the original on 23 January 2011. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Frosch, Jon (15 May 2010). "Mike Leigh's Another Year an early festival high point". France 24. Archived from the original on 6 February 2011. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Jones, Emma (19 May 2010). "Another Cannes, another Mike Leigh classic". BBC News. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
- ^ "Cannes Jury Grid 2010" (pdf). Screen International. 27 May 2010. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
- ^ Ide, Wendy (17 May 2010). "Another Year at the Cannes Film Festival". London: The Times. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
{{cite news}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ Brooks, Xan (17 May 2010). "Cannes film festival diary: Another Year, a rare treat". guardian.co.uk. London. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
- ^ Macnab, Geoffrey (17 May 2010). "Another Year, Cannes Film Festival". London: The Independent. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
{{cite news}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ "Nominees for the 83rd Academy Awards". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on 25 January 2011. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ ""A Single Man" de Tom Ford, grand prix UCC 2011". La Libre Belgique (in French). 10 January 2011. Retrieved 26 October 2012.
- ^ "Past Winners and Nominees - Film". British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
- ^ "The Moët British Independent Film Awards Announce Nominations and Jury for 13th Edition". British Independent Film Awards. Archived from the original on 4 November 2010. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Official Selection 2010". Cannes Film Festival. Archived from the original on 3 October 2009. Retrieved 24 May 2010.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Chicago Film Critics Awards - 2008-2010". Chicago Film Critics Association. Archived from the original on 24 February 2010. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Nominations for the 23rd European Film Awards". EFA. Archived from the original on 11 November 2010. Retrieved 13 November 2010.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Ng, Philiana (20 December 2010). "The King's Speech, Another Year Lead Nominations at London Critics' Circle Film Awards". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
- ^ "2010 Awards Shortlists". London Film Festival Awards. Archived from the original on 3 November 2010. Retrieved 28 October 2010.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "David Fincher's THE SOCIAL NETWORK Tops National Board of Review Awards 2010". ALT Film Guide. Archived from the original on 3 December 2010. Retrieved 2 December 2010.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "2010 Awards". San Diego Film Critics Society. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
- ^ "The 2010 WAFCA Award Winners". Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association. Retrieved 25 January 2011.