THE CONSTANT GARDNER (Fernando Meirelles, 2005, UK) From the director of CITY OF GOD (#6 on my Top Ten of 2003!) comes his masterful sophomore film based on John Le Carres' novel about the deadly politics of Pharmaceutical cartels in third world countries. Tessa is the wife of British diplomat Justin Quayle who, through her dogged determination and concern for humanity, discovers a murderous plot by a giant pharmaceutical company that is testing its drugs on the poor and sick patients in an African community: the patients are guinea pigs and the disastrous results are misreported to ensure the successful world-wide acceptance of the drug. When Tessa is silenced her husband picks up the fight and begins to implicate the British government and many "higher-ups". His determination correlates to the deep and inspiring love he felt for his wife as he fights the good fight against insurmountable odds. Meirelles gets his camera in close to the people and events, which gives this film an almost documentary feel, much like his first film. Rachel Weisz’s (Tessa) performance is exceptional and she took home the Oscar. (B)
It's funny how the colors of the real world only seem really real when you viddy them on the screen.
Friday, November 27, 2009
THE CONSTANT GARDNER (Fernando Meirelles, 2005, UK) From the director of CITY OF GOD (#6 on my Top Ten of 2003!) comes his masterful sophomore film based on John Le Carres' novel about the deadly politics of Pharmaceutical cartels in third world countries. Tessa is the wife of British diplomat Justin Quayle who, through her dogged determination and concern for humanity, discovers a murderous plot by a giant pharmaceutical company that is testing its drugs on the poor and sick patients in an African community: the patients are guinea pigs and the disastrous results are misreported to ensure the successful world-wide acceptance of the drug. When Tessa is silenced her husband picks up the fight and begins to implicate the British government and many "higher-ups". His determination correlates to the deep and inspiring love he felt for his wife as he fights the good fight against insurmountable odds. Meirelles gets his camera in close to the people and events, which gives this film an almost documentary feel, much like his first film. Rachel Weisz’s (Tessa) performance is exceptional and she took home the Oscar. (B)
