The Constant Gardener

The Constant Gardener Starring: Ralph Feinnes, Rachel Weisz Director: Fernando Meirelles Cinematographer: César Charlone Similar Movies: City of God, Cry Freedom Where to See It: Anywhere quality movies are showing Rating: !! (And a big “Go see this movie!”) A question to pose: Why aren’t people flocking by the dozens to see this movie??? Last week, it was only the #3 movie behind a 2nd rate British Action Film and a comedy that will undoubtedly not decline in value once transferred to a DVD. Whereas The Constant Gardener should (must?) be seen on the big screen. A romance starring Ralph Feinnes (the most accomplished romantic protagonist of the last 20 years), an international film from the director of City of God (currently ranked on IMDB.com as the #18 highest rated movie EVER), and a suspense based on a Le Carré novel, this one should be at the top of your list. I’m serious. From the opening shots of Fernando Meirelles’ new masterpiece, The Constant Gardener, it should already be apparent to the viewer that 1) Meirelles has still got the stuff, and 2) we’re in for an intense ride. This film is no joke, to be certain. From its overarching themes of undying love, the search for truth, and third-world exploitation alone, the audience has to be prepared for something heavy. Not to mention, Meirelles’ last film, City of God, was probably the most heart-wrenching (and visually stunning) film ever to come out of Brazil. Together again with cinematographer César Charlone, the director has made himself at home in a land so foreign to most western viewers, letting us see the world from yet another angle. In the urban landscape of Nairobi, Kenya, British Diplomat Justin Quayle (Feinnes) has just learned of the death of his wife Tessa (Rachel Weisz). The victim of a roadside murder, Tessa is found shot and badly burned. Arnold Bluhm (Hubert Koundé), the doctor who accompanied her on many such journeys, is missing from the scene of the crime, and quickly becomes a prime suspect. As the narrative shifts to Justin and Tessa’s first meeting and subsequent courting, the viewer is quickly brought into a world as passionate and subversive as Tessa herself. Seeing mostly through Justin’s eyes, we begin to understand the difficulties of the couple, living in an extremely taxing situation abroad. While Justin rarely seems to do anything (apart from caring for his wife and plants), Tessa is constantly laboring to help the poor and exploited Kenyan citizens. As she becomes more devoted to her cause, the only thing that becomes clearer is that she is hiding some very important details from Justin. As he begins to gather clues about her murder, which seems inextricably linked to her humanitarian efforts, Justin learns more about Tessa than he ever knew in her lifetime. The story is based on a John Le Carré novel, and the themes explored are very modern and very serious. To cut the seriousness of the most modern theme, third-world exploitation, Meirelles gives us the thrilling suspense of Justin’s search for Tessa’s killer. The two taglines for the film read, “The Conspiracy is Global” and “Love. At Any Cost.” This should pretty much spell it out. There is no sentence reading, “First-World Drama, Third World Killing.” So you should understand where the marketers are coming from. And though they are pretty much correct, I would say that this is not merely a love story, not merely a paranoid thriller. It is a combination--Suspense, Love Story, and Social Commentary. Two things caught my attention. First, the romantic connection between the two characters. The sex scene that follows their first meeting is a beautiful collage of body parts and sensual sounds. It is surprising how sexually satisfying Meirelles was able to make the scene without ever showing nudity. This should be a lesson to easy-way-out directors who choose to add “art scenes” to movies. Though I am by no means opposed to nudity, it would be nice to see some more tasteful sex scenes in movies, so we can start getting PG-13 ratings on sex instead of violence.* It is the camera work and editing that makes the whole scene so good. The shots are quick and give only pieces of the action. It is almost as if the viewer is making love with the characters. This level of inclusiveness works very well. A shirt tugged here, a boot off there, flashes of skin, a kiss…it’s really a wonderful way to put together such an intimate moment. I know that other directors have done as much, but I stress that this particular scene is extremely well put together.

look at this, and tell me they're not in love...

The second thing that caught my attention were the gorgeous shots of rural African shantytowns. As we learned from City of God, the director and cinematographer know what they are doing when it comes to filming the poorest and saddest areas of the world. Their work in The Consant Gardener only reaffirms that point. With sweeping shots of rusted roofs, children holding hands, garbage littered train-tracks, and that ethereal African dirt, Meirelles and Charlone have found yet another way to show us the beauty of the third-world. The key to this is not patronizing the viewer or the Africans. He shows it like it is: Unbelievably gorgeous, undyingly resilient, and unshakably tragic. From the two hours of shots in rural and urban Africa, there are very few that make you feel bad about who these suffering people are, who you are, who the western world is, and why it’s all so messed up. Instead, the viewer is able to walk away from the movie understanding a portion of the problems between the first and third world countries, without taking the blame personally. This should at least amount to proper box office sales. So far, though, it’s been a bit shy of hopes, I’m sure. Again, if you haven’t seen The Constant Gardener yet, get out there. Though the film will still look good on DVD, I can’t stress just how beautiful it is on the big screen. Check just the opening shots. A Shot, Birds Flocking, An Overturned Truck. That’s it. And it’s gorgeous.

* (maybe this is an issue to take up with the Beverly Hills garden club that puts these useless ratings on films...I'll drop it there)