All or Nothing
Wow. I mean really wow! Dare I say, this is quite a little masterpiece? Yes. So real and sad and heartbreaking, but also funny and ultimately hopeful.
For those not familiar, the central story is about a working class family of four living in London. Penny, Phil and their kids Rachel and Rory. It's a life of routine. For Penny, a cashier, and Phil, a taxi driver, work is joyless. The unrelenting bills don't give them much choice in the matter. Their relationship too is an unhappy one, but no less necessary. For this family, life is almost entirely bitter. And yet circumstances keep them trapped where right they are. I can't begin to describe how painfully aware I was of the hopelessness. I really felt it. It's made all the more agonizing by the fact that these are mostly kind people. Despite how nasty they can be to one another, you sense that it's the situation talking more than the person. It's just sad to watch good people be consumed by bad situations.
Ebert:
These people are real as few movie characters ever are. I absolutely agree. I would say the same thing about
Vera Drake (
After The Wedding and
F*cking Amal also come to mind). I don't imagine me and Ebert are the only ones impressed with this movie either. If you haven't watched it, I would urge you to do so. I can't even begin to do it justice. I'll be watching it again. 4/4
