Three films (seen through an alcoholic haze)

On television, over the Christmas holiday, I watched three films (seen through an alcoholic haze):

The Mother
The subject of this film was the sexual reawakening of a retired person – not at first sight very promising, but it had such good reviews that I thought I would give it a go. An older woman, marginalised after the death of her husband, goes to stay with her son and his family, who are too preoccupied to give her any attention. She begins an affair with the 30ish builder working in her son’s house (whom she knows is her unhappy daughter’s boyfriend), and the affair becomes public (to the scandal of everyone). The screenplay was written by Hanif Kureishi (who also wrote The Buddha of Suburbia) and it was directed by Roger Michell. Anne Reid was the older mother, Daniel Craig was the builder. The film was a very powerful drama, all the more effective for being understated. The characterisation was particularly impressive – all the characters were recognisable, and the general tone of London life was convincingly conveyed.

The theme of an older mother who takes away her daughter’s boyfriend was also illustrated in Maroon 5s video She will be Loved, played endlessly on the music channels over the holiday period. The video was directed by Sophie Muller, a London-based director who has done a lot of work for advertising production house Oilfactory (in Little Portland Street in the West End). There is, obviously, a strong link between music videos and television commercials. The video is supposed to be an interpretation of the film The Graduate, and features Kelly Preston (John Travolta’s wife) as the older woman, and Maroon 5 lead singer Adam Levine. Not sure who the younger (blonde) actress is. The video has a mesmerising effect: in the lighting (bright south-of-France colours muted to match the dark theme), the superbly professional acting (every gesture, every movement, is integral to the whole) and above all the editing. It is a masterpiece – I could watch it for hours and still find new things to notice.