Another Year (2010)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Matthew S

  
  The husband and wife we follow are the essence of Buddha; they live in the moment, aware of the hysterical nature of reality, the delicacy of the human condition, and the sublime beauty of a simple life - tea, a garden, family, and friends. Like a magnet, they draw in people… More
  The husband and wife we follow are the essence of Buddha; they live in the moment, aware of the hysterical nature of reality, the delicacy of the human condition, and the sublime beauty of a simple life - tea, a garden, family, and friends. Like a magnet, they draw in people throughout the year who are trying very hard to avoid living in the moment, and we watch them struggle, falling further with the help of various chemicals. This movie captures the genuine spontaneity and flow of life and shows what it looks like when good, albeit human people handle it with joy.

• paul s

  
  Mike Leigh is truly an interesting writer and director. In "Another Year", he starts with a depressed character that is having trouble sleeping. All she wants from her MD is sleeping pills, but the MD insists that pills will only alleviate the symptoms, not address their… More
  Mike Leigh is truly an interesting writer and director. In "Another Year", he starts with a depressed character that is having trouble sleeping. All she wants from her MD is sleeping pills, but the MD insists that pills will only alleviate the symptoms, not address their cause. So the woman reluctantly decides to see a psychologist. Ok - no big deal, right? But it is, because the woman is only a vehicle - setting a mood and introducing the audience to Geri, the psychologist. After her painful scene with Geri, the woman is never seen on film again. Wow! What a way to begin a film. So - we are introduced to Geri, and an office co-worker Mary, a middle aged divorcee who is having problems dealing with the single life. She tries way too hard at everything, drinks too much, and frankly, is quite a mess. Mary (in a truly marvelous performance by Leslie Manville) is truly the focus of the film, but really, Leigh has more stories to tell, some more subtle than others. We are introduced to Geri's husband Tom (the always brilliant Jim Broadbent), and their circle of friends and relatives. Each character has a story to tell, and there is much sadness here; especially concerning ageing and the horrible thought of being alone and adrift, unable to truly connect to those around you. I couldn't help but notice during the film that it seemed that Geri (the psychologist) and Tom seemed to be the only truly stable people around, and they spend their time observing the world around them, secure in the fact that they are comfortable with each other. So much of what is viewed here is depressing, as it should be - the topic of ageing, and the fear of being alone (after all, we're supposed to be social creatures, right?), are not subjects filled with sunshine. And yet Leigh balances this with hope, in the form of a new and seemingly happy relationship established by Tom and Geri's son (which of course is yet another source of pain for someone else... but that's something you'll have to discover for yourself). Fine acting abounds here, from Ruth Sheen as Geri, to some of the minor characters, especially that of Tom's friend Ken. Peter Wright is amazing in his drunken, wounded soul - tormented by the fact that life has seemingly passed him by. He seems hell bent on self destruction - perhaps seeing it as the only way out of his misery. Truly epic in his sadness. The film moves slowly at times, allowing you to really feel the discomfort and distance that surrounds Tom and Geri's circle, but its not until the "winter" segment (yes, there are four segments - hence the title) - that the film begins to lose its way. After wallowing in enough pathos, the film heaps on a meal full (well, it is "winter" which is supposed to be a depressing time of year) - moving at a glacial pace until the final act, which isn't a resolution in any way shape or form - how could it be - this is a story about life... a messy thing that has no easy cures. It leaves you thinking, which I'm sure is what Leigh desired.

• Kase V

  
  The beautiful thing about Mike Leigh's 'Another Year' is that it accomplishes exactly what it wants to, and does so with grace and emotion. It may prove to be very alienating to some viewers with its slow pace and drawn-out dialogue. But that's the point.… More
  The beautiful thing about Mike Leigh's 'Another Year' is that it accomplishes exactly what it wants to, and does so with grace and emotion. It may prove to be very alienating to some viewers with its slow pace and drawn-out dialogue. But that's the point. That's what Leigh wanted. So may be very well made and very accomplished with great performances from the entire cast, but the film is wildly alienating. Many viewers will find it boring and not entertaining. A unique film for a very specific audience.

• Zack B

  
  [Short DVD Review] It's a brilliant movie, completely unforgiving and quite hopeful all at once. Here's hoping I can be Jim Broadbent when I grow up!

• Jake .

  
  I love Tom and Gerri! They are the type of couple that reaffirms faith in marriage, faith in family. Perhaps the best part being that we actually come across couples like this occasionally; they do not only exist on screen. Still, you just watch them and think "yeah, they have… More
  I love Tom and Gerri! They are the type of couple that reaffirms faith in marriage, faith in family. Perhaps the best part being that we actually come across couples like this occasionally; they do not only exist on screen. Still, you just watch them and think "yeah, they have everything figured out!" They complement each other so perfectly. As for the movie itself. I liked it a lot, but at the same time, I felt that it needed something more. It just didn't leave me feeling all that much. It felt like it was saying more than it actually succeeded in communicating. Still, it's enjoyable, thoughtful, serene yet hilarious. I really loved it, but it still kind of fades from memory fast, just as quickly as day and weeks turn into years. A year can pass, within the time a lot can change, but ultimately each year is not so different from the one before; each moment should be enjoyed and cherish as it blends into the next.

• Cynthia S

  
  Another year? It felt like a year trying to get through this movie...yeesh! Slow. Uneventful. Pointless. A typical film that the critics loved. Go figure..

• Aaron N

  
  Mary: You can't go around with a big sign saying don't fall in love with me I'm married. Tom: Well, most people wear a ring. Mary: Well he didn't.

• Saskia D

  
  I love these sort of movies. It's structured around the 4 seasons, and we meet this couple and their family and close friends. It's about things not turning out the way you've hoped or expected, about how painful it is to see your loved ones struggle. Lesley Manville… More
  I love these sort of movies. It's structured around the 4 seasons, and we meet this couple and their family and close friends. It's about things not turning out the way you've hoped or expected, about how painful it is to see your loved ones struggle. Lesley Manville is phenomenal as Mary.

• Jennifer X

  
  I'm as surprised as anyone else that I liked it so much. I do really think this is casted perfectly. Lesley Manville can in one light look so beautiful, in another look so old and depressed. Ruth Sheen is so funny looking but she can at times look really great. I can't bring… More
  I'm as surprised as anyone else that I liked it so much. I do really think this is casted perfectly. Lesley Manville can in one light look so beautiful, in another look so old and depressed. Ruth Sheen is so funny looking but she can at times look really great. I can't bring myself to care about a lot of Mike Leigh's characters but some of these situations touched me quite a bit.

• Kalel J

  
  A year in the life. Mike Leigh's latest entry is still, calm, and tepid. With simple settings and plain characters - it is almost lethargic. But it is real. It's setting is simple but inviting, and its characters plain but wisened. They have lived lives, but realise their… More
  A year in the life. Mike Leigh's latest entry is still, calm, and tepid. With simple settings and plain characters - it is almost lethargic. But it is real. It's setting is simple but inviting, and its characters plain but wisened. They have lived lives, but realise their current situation is not a part of the plan. Are they happy? Mostly no. A central character states that "change is hard" - those close to her know all-too-well. [Full review pending]

• Alireza M

  
  Mike Leigh's best film after Secrets & Lies.

• Gordon A

  
  Top drawer Leigh which showcases his trademark obsessive attention to character and authenticity. Manville is scarily good and fully deserved her nominations.

• Thomas B

  
  Incredible script and some great performances. Full review later.

• William D

  
  "Another Year" is very much another Mike Leigh film. All his films have had value (starting with 1988's "High Hopes"), but none has been stellar. That's a perfect description of "Another Year." It's worth seeing, but don't expect too… More
  "Another Year" is very much another Mike Leigh film. All his films have had value (starting with 1988's "High Hopes"), but none has been stellar. That's a perfect description of "Another Year." It's worth seeing, but don't expect too much. The best thing it has going for it is a knockout supporting performance from Lesley Manville as a lonely, uneducated woman with a drinking problem and an almost complete inability to manage life. The performance does go a bit over the top. But in its more under-stated moments, Manville's work is astounding. It's a scandal that her performance hasn't gotten more press in the United States. The main characters in "Another Year" are two saintly ex-flower children around age 60 who have a perfect marriage and are completely devoid of ego or vanity. They're so darn easy-going and at peace with life. She (played adequately by Ruth Sheen) has an extreme over-bite that would make other women feel insecure. Yet Gerri is completely at peace with her flawed looks. As often the case in a Leigh film, the characters are less like real people and more like vehicles through which the filmmaker can praise or condemn social currents of the day. Leigh seems to be using the main characters here to advertise how much he thinks today's culture is inferior to that of the late 1960s. How Leigh misses the days of the flower children! He is arguably the most nostalgic filmmaker of our time. As an example of their saintliness, this couple provides comfort to countless strays, broken middle-aged people who drown in addiction and loneliness. Here the central destroyed person is Mary (Manville). But there is also the obese, heavy-drinking, heavy-smoking Ken, who has a crush on Mary. Actor Peter Wight throws himself into the role of Ken with such abandon that I feared the actor would have a heart attack on screen. It is frightening to watch. There is also the near-catatonic Ronnie and his belligerent, speed-addicted son who picks fights with everyone who looks at him. Leigh's victims are usually as cartoon-like as his heroes, but Manville breaks through the cartoon to get at something authentically human about her troubled character. The other supporting actors probably would have been able to do the same, if they had received more screen time. When thinking of Leigh's body of work, I'm reminded of something I once heard said of John Steinbeck: "Steinbeck was not a first-rate novelist, but he was a great second-rate novelist." To me, Leigh is a very good second-rate filmmaker (much like Clint Eastwood, who has directed only one or two truly great films). There is always some value in his films, but invariably there's also a healthy serving of treacle, polemic, or obviousness. I wish Leigh didn't have quite so many axes to grind, and I wish he didn't see art as a bastard form of social commentary. If Leigh more has the heart of a journalist than an artist, then he should be doing journalism.

• Greg S

  
  A year in the life of a happy, well-adjusted couple and their circle of miserable friends. Typical Mike Leigh film: fantastic characterizations and performances--Lesley Mansfield should have got an Oscar nom for her portrayal of nervous, desperate Mary--coupled with little plot and… More
  A year in the life of a happy, well-adjusted couple and their circle of miserable friends. Typical Mike Leigh film: fantastic characterizations and performances--Lesley Mansfield should have got an Oscar nom for her portrayal of nervous, desperate Mary--coupled with little plot and an aggressive, in-your-face ordinariness.

• danny d

  
  a truly wonderful film that sneaks up on you. the film is about wine, good food, and valuing friends and family, which are all wrapped up in the meta-narrative of what its like to grow older. we see profound examples of what getting older should like like for those that are happy,… More
  a truly wonderful film that sneaks up on you. the film is about wine, good food, and valuing friends and family, which are all wrapped up in the meta-narrative of what its like to grow older. we see profound examples of what getting older should like like for those that are happy, as well as even profounder examples of what growing old is like for the far less fortunate. the film is about peace, depression, and anxiety, all depending on which characters eyes one chooses to see the film through. we get multiple generations and stages of life, and these all lead up to a final scene which is a brilliant, perfectly crafted scene that ties the entire film together. if the film is slow and uneventful for the first 90 minutes, hang in there, the payoff is wonderful if youre paying attention.

• moon r

  
  writer/director leigh wants to talk about modern society, holding the mirror up in middle class england wherein we find one happy couple and their not-so-content friends. all is not what it seems here, and figuring out leigh's point and deciding how you feel about it makes for… More
  writer/director leigh wants to talk about modern society, holding the mirror up in middle class england wherein we find one happy couple and their not-so-content friends. all is not what it seems here, and figuring out leigh's point and deciding how you feel about it makes for an interesting evening out.

• Michael S

  
  Mike Leigh knows how to capture simple human drama in a way unlike any other filmmaker. With "Another Year" he has crafted one of his finest works to date.

• Mark H

  
  Happily married husband and wife attend to the emotional problems of their various friends, colleagues, and family over the course of a year. Director Mike Leigh's movies are a mixed bag. They're big on characterization and small on plot. On the one hand you get a… More
  Happily married husband and wife attend to the emotional problems of their various friends, colleagues, and family over the course of a year. Director Mike Leigh's movies are a mixed bag. They're big on characterization and small on plot. On the one hand you get a beautifully composed, character driven drama filled with nuanced personalities. What you wont get is a focused narrative, other than to present a group of interesting people. Of all the individuals, the most engaging is Mary played by actress Lesley Manville. A superficially bubbly, but lonely woman in her early 50s. She talks with nervous speech patterns and jerky physical movements that belie a desperate need to be loved and a not so carefully hidden sadness. She's extraordinary and her performance is one of the best things about the film. Unfortunately, the action really doesn't go anywhere and leaves the viewer hanging at the end on a cheerless note. Of course the argument is, such is life, but that feels like a cheat since this is not the real world, but a movie. It feels lazy as if Mike Leigh didn't know where to take the story. After watching such a well acted movie with heartfelt characters, we expect a dramatic structure. Throughout most of the picture, however, the experience can be quite rewarding.

• Carlos M

  
  A fascinating drama that holds your attention and slowly grows on you with a simple story, yet so rich in nuances, showing a year in the life of normal people. The whole cast is perfect, and Lesley Manville deserves an Oscar for her outstanding performance as Mary the eccentric… More
  A fascinating drama that holds your attention and slowly grows on you with a simple story, yet so rich in nuances, showing a year in the life of normal people. The whole cast is perfect, and Lesley Manville deserves an Oscar for her outstanding performance as Mary the eccentric friend.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings