Another Year

Do we know what to expect from a Mike Leigh film anymore? His last outing, Happy Go Lucky, was a break from the norm of the depressing talkies we know the writer-director is fond of and saw Sally Hawkins' Poppy smile through minor disasters that threatened to drag her down. Another Year sees Leigh return to Leigh territory, but there are a few giggles to be had thanks to Manville's brilliant turn.

Tom (Broadbent) and Gerri (Sheen) are a happily married couple who spend their spare time tending to the vegetables in their allotment, the plants in the garden of their London home, and the troubles of their small circle of friends. Obese Ken (Peter Wright) can't get his life together and Tom's brother Ronnie (David Bradley) has lost his wife but the friend in most need of their help is Mary (Manville), a desperately lonely hospital secretary struggling to cope with a recent divorce. Another Year favours Mary's problems more than the others; staring down the barrel of a lonesome existence unless she does something about it now, Mary throws the glad eye at Tom and Gerri's (yes, the name is the focus of a gag) 30-year-old son Joe (Oliver Maltman).

Set over one year and split up into the four seasons, Another Year doesn't hide from its pathetic fallacy. Tom and Gerri's treatment of those around them change with the weather: when the screen is awash with the green of the summer months, the couple smile through Mary's consistent woe-is-me stories, nursing her through her troubles. When the seasons turn cold, however, Tom and Gerri concur - they suddenly have no time for Mary after her jealous dismissal of Joe's new girlfriend.

There's nothing much in the way of plot - Mike Leigh fans aren't expecting any and should delight in his usual long, dialogue-heavy scenes - but the endless chats over cups of tea (and glasses of wine when Mary pops around) do tend to get a little tiring after a time. It is a delightful change of pace watching normal people deal with everyday situations but Another Year never clicks into a higher gear as Secrets & Lies did – there are no big revelations, no twists, no hidden motives. The film can get bland and samey.

The performances, however, will keep interests high when the film lags. Broadbent and Sheen turn in low-key performances, allowing Manville to steal the show. In Oscar form, the forever smiling and upbeat Manville is asked to only hint at the desperation cutting her into pieces and she delivers - her eyes are always a moment away from tears but she'd never allow that to happen in company. It's one of the best performances of the year.