By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.375
Director: Neil Hunter | Tom Hunsinger
Starring: Bill Nighy | Clémentine Célarié | Douglas Henshall | Tom Hollander
Country: france, united_kingdom
Year: 2003
Running time: 86
IMDB: http://us.imdb.com/Details?0276276
Peg says: “This second feature from the filmmaking team of Tom Hunsinger and Neil Hunter is every bit as intimate and gently haunting as their first, a low-budget ensemble piece called BOYFRIENDS. Now, with a larger canvas and seasoned actors, Hunsinger and Hunter ply their craft with the confidence one expects from much-older fellow Brits Mike Leigh and Ken Loach.
“Set in Essex, the story follows the impact of one mans death on his lover/business partner, Nick (the excellent Tom Hollander), his taciturn, restless brother-in-law, Dan (Bill Nighy, funny and laconic), and a cousin, Tim, who arrives home serendipitously the day of the funeral after a bohemian decade abroad (ANGELS AND INSECTS’ Doug Henshall in a giddy, many-layered portrayal). Unfolding in three segments, the narrative offers each characters widely divergent perspective. Such a device can feel precious or smug; but Hunter and Hunsinger never reveal too much, and the gradually emerging picture of peoples foibles and fears, as it emerges from a stellar cast (with fine turns from Clémentine Célarié and Sukie Smith), evokes the rhythms of real life, real grief, and those surreal epiphanies that always arrive too late. A simple and utterly charming film, Lawless Heart left me feeling as if Id lived with these characters for at least a month.” 3 1/2 cats
Michael says: “THE LAWLESS HEART is a nice British film with a strong ensemble cast. Three men are affected by the death of a young, gay man, each coping in their own way. This is the second film by the writing/directing pair of Tom Hunsinger and Neil Hunter following their gay, ensemble film, BOYFRIENDS.
“I was not a fan of BOYFRIENDS. In fact, I found it to be shoddy, amateurish, and annoyingly stereotypical. I probably wouldn’t have given THE LAWLESS HEART a shot if it hadn’t been for the high praise of fellow-member Peg Aloi, and the presence of Tom Hollander and Doug Henshall, who have both appeared in movies that I have enjoyed. In the end, I found myself hard-pressed to give a strong opinion. The film was nice, it was entertaining, but it really didn’t say much… and I think it was trying to.
“Each man’s story is told from his point-of-view. Dan, the deceased’s brother-in-law, starts things off. He is married to Stuart’s sister, firmly established in middle-age, and facing financial insecurity. At Stuart’s wake, he meets a beautiful and intriguing French woman, Corinne, who is, in fact, the florist. He finds himself in the midst of a mid-life crisis.
“Nick, played with cute sympathy by Tom Hollander (Chlotrudis-nominated for BEDROOMS AND HALLWAYS), is Stuart’s boyfriend. Still close to Stuart’s sister Joan, he awaits her decision on what to do with Stuart’s considerable finances before making life-altering decisions. In the meantime, he is lonely, and he becomes entangled in the life of good-hearted, free-spirited, bossy, Charlie (short, presumably, for Charlene?) She opens him up, fairly quickly and his loneliness and grief for Stuart become a bit confused.
“Finally, Tim, played by Douglas Henshall (ANGELS & INSECTS) is a cousin of Stuart’s who escaped their small-town hamlet eight years previous, to make a name for himself in London. Upon his return, he finds himself ready to settle down, despite his carousing ways, when he meets the beautiful Leah. Problem is, Leah has a past of her own, and it may involve Tim’s closest friend and foster-brother, David.
“THE LAWLESS HEART hits some nice moods, and plays with time, allowing each person’s story to be told from the beginning, then rewinding back for the next person. But that’s about it. There wasn’t much depth. I didn’t learn anything. In fact, the emotional passage was pretty rote. I would have preferred a storyline focusing on Stuart’s sister Joan, who was quite interesting and not given enough development to truly be a strong character, rather than her laconic husband Dan. And where did Corinne go? After Dan’s story is told, she basically disappears! The older women were far more interesting to me than the two younger women who replace them.
“While certainly a step up from BOYFRIENDS, Hunsinger and Neil still have a ways to go before they become filmmakers that intrigue or excite me.” 2 1/2 cats
Peg responds: “Too bad you did not get much from this film. It is definitely a quiet film, but, well I saw it three times before I finally did my review so maybe I uncovered a lot more. But I liked it very much the first time I saw it, too. I disagree the emotional passage was not significant, or that viewers don’t learn anything. The narrative conceit, on the contrary, allows us to see things in ways we would not have from mere observation through other characters’ eyes. Nick has been in a gay relationship for years and finds himself, through the confusion wrought by grief and perhaps from the vulnerability of being used by people, having sex with a woman. Dan is happily married but clearly yearning for something more and when it appears before him he’s terrified and has no idea what to do; he actually hides from this woman on the street! He lets a floozy seduce him but gets nothing from it, while the woman he might have a friendship with is blithely ignored because he’s fearful of his attraction…to me that is very human and also very dramatic. But it’s a subtle performance and so maybe not all of that is clear. And Tim’s character I found fascinating; on the surface of things he apears shallow and selfish, but he’s really this yearning romantic with very profound feelings. I know not everyone likes these subtle little films, but I do have to disagree that there is no dramatic movement in this one; it’s there, just not screamingly obvious.”
Michael responds: “Thanks Peg! I was hoping you’d respond. I knew you loved the film and I really wanted to like it more. My reaction to THE LAWLESS HEART was an odd one. I didn’t dislike the film. In fact, I thought it was a very nice film. I thought the jumping back in time was very effective, and the performances, for the most part, pretty effective.
“I just don’t think we really saw anything new here. I also thought some of the links between stories were somewhat contrived. I particularly found the bit about Dan’s sexual encounter with Tim’s on/off girlfriend rather forced. And the extended sequence of Leah escaping over the fence seemed rather unnecessary, serving only to show her off her underwear.
“I thought Nick’s story was well done. His reasons for reaching out to Charlie were clear, despite his homosexuality, and her gender. But for some reason, I felt it lacked something.
“Dan’s story, on the other hand, was for me, just another mid-life crisis story. And not a very subtle or inspiring one.
“And then there’s Tim. I seem to be in the minority here in that I found Tim annoying (as many of you did) but I did not find him charming (as many of you did.) Also, the story of the rogue trying to settle down, but finding it more difficult than he imagined is not a very original one either, in my opinion. In fact, it’s one of the issues I find difficult to take in gay culture, which is a parallel that just popped into my head. Perhaps it’s a parallel that the filmmakers had in mind?”
Mary W. says: “I liked THE LAWLESS HEART very much. The (original and I thought kind of exciting) structure of three chronologically overlapping stories allows the filmmakers to portray subtle and apparently undramatic emotional journeys in reaction to the disruption of an unexpected death.
“I liked so much about it-the way the plots paralleled each other, with each protagonist reaching toward or avoiding a new kind of connection in response to the sudden loss; the way confusing or peripheral moments became clear and important from another perspective. I got a kick out of the way this seemed to be paralleled by the revealing movement from person to person of a loud orange scarf, until it meets its fate at the teeth of a dog. I’m particularly fond of movies like this where your view of the characters frequently shifts (I changed my mind about Tim at least 4 times), and where lots is left unexplained.
“The performances were wonderful, and it was unusually rich in minor characters. I’d love to see it again. Guess this one’s love it or hate it.”
Laura says: “Writer/directors Neil Hunter and Tom Hunsinger (BOYFRIENDS) have crafted a circular triptych which changes audience perceptions of people, places and things depending on whose point of view we see them from. This warm and human film lets its audience settle in cozily with the denizens of a small English coastal village and watch their lives unfold. The experience is not unlike curling up with a sprawling novel.
“The film begins three separate times as its three protagonists cross paths at Stuart’s funeral reception. Dan is quite taken by the unusual conversation of local florist Corinne (Clémentine Célarié, SAVAGE NIGHTS) but panics at his attraction to her. He accepts a dinner invitation, only to be waylaid at the local pub by Nick, which is ironic given that Dan has been arguing with his wife Judy (Ellie Haddington, BEAUTIFUL CREATURES) about whether to give Stuart’s money to Nick or keep it. He then ends up with another woman altogether who mistakes him for a cabbie. Corrine reenters the picture at Judy’s birthday party in Stuart and Nick’s restaurant in a scene that will resonate more deeply at the end of Tim’s story.
“Nick is alternately plagued by obnoxious house guest Tim and drunken party girl, Charlie (Sukie Smith, TOPSY-TURVY), who refuses to leave his house without tea and toast. When Nick runs into Charlie working as a cashier at the supermarket (where Dan also could not avoid Corrine), her simplicity charms him. Judy’s good will is lost, however, when she believes her brother has been replaced too quickly by a woman.
“Tim proves to be the biggest eye-opener, a disheveled charmer whose soft center was masked by Nick’s aggravation. Tim is surprised to discover he wants to settle in the very place he’s run from when he meets shop owner Leah (Josephine Baker), but she turns out to have a strong past connection to Tim’s best buddy David (Stuart Laing) that muddles Tim’s future.
“THE LAWLESS HEART grows richer with each segment. Dan’s story is a light tale of middle-aged angst from within a comfortable marriage. Nighy plays Dan as a hesitant hider who hems and haws with every woman except his wife and feels more comfortable with Nick when he ‘starts playing for the home team.’ Nick’s bridging story is an unusually humorous treatment of grief which ends on a bittersweet note. Where Dan saw his wife as uncommonly altruistic through Nick’s eyes we see an emotional bargainer. Tim’s story is the most charged. He’s the only one of the three not looking for love as a course of avoidance and our hearts break with his. Henshall’s performance makes Tim all things to all people while always remaining true to his character. He’s the best of a fine ensemble.
“Hunter and Hunsinger’s writing is clever, connecting stories with items as unlikely as a coconut and as mundane as the gift of a scarf, without ever seeming gimmicky. As directors they keep several balls in the air, juggling story strands without ever dropping one, ably assisted by the work of their editor Scott Thomas. Cinematographer Sean Bobbitt (WONDERLAND) uses natural light for an unfussy look that calls attention to the people and their environment.” 4 cats