« Muppet Mommies For Baby Hornbills | Main | Monkey Wrenches: Primates With Tools »

September 7, 2005

The Constant Gardener

It's been too long since I've seen a really good movie - one that sticks with me days after leaving the cinema. British spy novelist John le Carré's The Constant Gardener is one of those movies - it's potent, exciting and beautifully filmed.

The backdrop of The Constant Gardener is northern Kenya, a parsely populated desert region plagued with disease as well as unrest where daily life consists of living in shanty towns or villages under threat of raiders and banditry. Kenya is just one of the many nations fighting the AIDS epidemic, among other medical concerns - and the big benefactorial pharmaceuticals play a complex role. The Kenyans spend a lot of time standing in long lines for medical treatments, some of which seem of a dubious nature to a young activist Tessa Quayle, played by Rachel Weisz.

Then Tessa is discovered murdered, her husband Justin, a quiet British diplomat is suddenly bombarded with supposed secrets his wife has kept from him - infidelity primary among them. Le Carré's story unfolds as Justin, always thought to be unassuming and happier in his garden than confronting any harsh realities, struggles and eventually triumphs in discovering the mysteries behind his wife's death. Her struggle becomes his as he regains his faith in her as well as falls even further in love with her even after her death.

The Constant Gardener is remarkable for any number of reasons. Does this movie have an agenda? Absolutely. It certainly paints a controversial picture of how the pharmaceutical industry operates in the third world. However, this is also a love story and this subplot could have been set against any sort of conspiracy - and holds its own as a poignant story. The way the two main subplots are woven together is what makes this movie brilliant. And wow, the ending will blow you away...

Is it based on true events? I honestly don't know, but I certainly fear the truth here. I'd venture a guess that it was definately inspired by something legitimate, but that's for another discussion. For now, just consider Roger Ebert's comments:

Do drug companies really do this? The recent verdict against the makers of Vioxx indicates that a jury thought Merck sold a drug it knew was dangerous. Facts are the bones beneath the skin of a Le Carre novel. Either he knows what he's talking about, or he is uncommonly persuasive in seeming to. "The Constant Gardener" plays at times like a movie that will result in indictments.

...

Its closing scenes are as cynical about international politics and commerce as I can imagine. I would like to believe they are an exaggeration, but I fear they are not. This is one of the year's best films.

More at: Roger Ebert: The Constant Gardener

Posted by sorsha at September 7, 2005 4:48 PM