Dir.
Fernando Meirelles, UK/US, 2005, 130 mins
Cast:
Ralph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz, Hubert Kounde, Danny Huston, Bill Nighy
The Constant Gardener begins with a farewell. A British diplomat waves goodbye to his young wife at a small airstrip - little does he know, he will never see her again. What follows is a taut, intelligent and ultimately thought-provoking thriller that takes its cues from classic British cinema of the 1940s and 50s. The twist is, this is the work of Brazilian director Fernando Meirelles ( City of God ) - albeit inspired by British author John Le Carre's bestselling novel of the same name.
Le Carre is best known for his cold war thrillers (T he Spy Who Came In From The Cold ) but The Constant Gardener announced a change of direction as he shifted his focus to a more contemporary global issue. Part-time botanist (and full time diplomat) Quayle (Fiennes) marries political activist Tessa (Weisz). A move to Nairobi acts as a catalyst to her political activities, and she begins a crusade to expose the wrongdoings of a major drugs company (Big Pharma) who are using HIV positive Africans as cheap guinea pigs for a prototype Tuberculosis vaccine.
The consequences of Tessa's actions are immediate. The film opens with the news that her badly mutilated corpse has been found near a remote lake in Kenya .
The story swiftly progresses from murder mystery to political thriller, but ultimately The Constant Gardener is a complex study of human relationships. Betrayal and mistrust exist at all levels within the narrative, both from institutions and the individuals who represent them.
In order to find a reason for her death, Justin is forced to take a journey into his own past, revising his knowledge of his late wife, allowing the audience an opportunity to form a picture of Tessa - in retrospect.
The central performances from a primarily British cast deserve a great deal of praise. Ralph Fiennes is immediately impressive as the mild mannered diplomat, held back by self-reproach as much as he is driven forward by a quest for vengeance. This is a master class in reduction, as Fiennes internalises the agonising emotions stemming from the idea that everyone has betrayed him - and even worse - that he may have betrayed himself first. Rachel Weisz is hugely charismatic as Tessa, delivering a complex and captivating performance that carries much of the story. Bill Nighy provides excellent support as Sir Bernard Pellegrin, a quietly devious diplomat who politely asks Quayle to cover up his own wife's death.
Perhaps the greatest success lies in the choice of Meirelles as director. He is able to paint a complex picture of Kenya , capturing the vitality and brutality in equal measure. He also brings an objective viewpoint to his portrayal of modern British colonialism, which gives with one hand and takes with the other. His confident editing allows the story to sweep backwards and forwards in time without ever confusing the audience, and his ability to convey emotion allows the story to be powerful and involving without ever becoming cloying.
This is a love story told backwards, and a tense political thriller cast firmly in the Graham Greene mould. It also represents a respectable attempt to assess the consequences of global drug patents, but most of all, The Constant Gardener is intelligent modern cinema, a film that sets out to confound, and one that keeps the audience guessing to the last.
Robb Horsley 2005
Universal Pictures have announced the UK Region 2 DVD release of The Constant Gardener for 13th March 2006 priced at £19.99.
Special features include:
- Embracing Africa: Filming in Kenya (9.27)
- John Le Carré: From Page to the Screen (8.06)
- Anatomy of a Global Thriller : Behind The Scenes of the Constant Gardener (11.32)
- Extended Scene : Haruma - Play in Kibera (9.39)
- Deleted Scenes (10.33)
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