Opening Day: 9 Feb 2006


Synopsis :

Based on the best-selling John le Carré novel and from the Academy Award-nominated director of "City of God." In a remote area of Northern Kenya, activist Tessa Quayle (Rachel Weisz) is found brutally murdered. Tessa's companion, a doctor, appears to have fled the scene, and the
evidence points to a crime of passion. Members of the British High Commission in Nairobi assume that Tessa's widower, their mild-mannered and unambitious colleague Justin Quayle (Ralph Fiennes), will leave the matter to them. They could not be more wrong. Haunted by remorse and jarred by rumors of his late wife's infidelities, Quayle surprises everyone by
embarking on a personal odyssey that will take him across three continents. Using his privileged access to diplomatic secrets, he will risk his own life, stopping at nothing to uncover and expose the truth - a conspiracy more far-reaching and deadly than Quayle could ever have imagined.

Movie Review:

Revealing a scary reality of what real costs do our own comforts come by, The Constant Gardener, originally a novel by John le Carré, fundamentally uses a story about love to lead us into the sordid world of how big pharmaceutical companies and government agencies cooperate to exploit a weaker country’s poverty for their own benefits behind closed doors. It tells of how things in the real world get done – and it is far from pretty.

Steered by guilt and suspicions of her infidelity as well as cause of death, Justin Quayle (Ralph Fiennes) sets on a self-discovering journey to the truth behind his wife’s death. The mild-mannered diplomat unsuspectingly falls into an intricate web of conspiracy that endangers his life in turn. Justin’s journey traces not only what his wife had been uncovering, but also the truth about their relationship. Moving between scenes of past and present, the story builds up to a disclosure to the identity of Tessa’s (Rachel Weisz) murderer and how they truly felt about each other.

In the flashbacks, we are given the background to how Justin meets Tessa Abbott at a lecture he is giving on British foreign policy. An extreme activist, Tessa is rebellious, emotional and outspoken. She is the ultimate campaigner on a ‘save the world’ mission. While Justin on the other hand, is the personification of the perfect English gentleman – calm, poised and passive, a man who rather tend to his garden than confront uncomfortable truths. The two are polar opposites of each other and that was the attraction. When Tessa learns that Justin is posted to Africa, she asks him to take her along.

In Nairobi, Kenya, Tessa continues her activist work. In the midst of uncovering unscrupulous medical research practiced on the destitute local Kenyans with the help of a local doctor (Hubert Koundé), their marriage meets an untimely end with her brutal murder while on a mission to a remote part of the country.

To borrow Anne Rice’s terminology of the “savage garden” – this is how Africa can be best described in this film. Against the picturesque and startling beauty of its natural landscape, we see the stark contrast in the squalid living conditions Africans face in Kenya. It’s like experiencing a culture shock without actually having to go there. Brazilian director Fernando Meirelles, whose best-known work is 2002’s City of God, paints an honest picture of the real Africa and the movie is shot in the likeness of a real life documentary, as though we were looking into the lives of real people.

Although visually, the movie could have done better with less odd angled frames and shaky camera scenes, the actors are the ones to save the day by doing an exceptional job of breathing life into their characters. Giving a charismatic portrayal as the endearing and determined Justin Quayle, Ralph Fiennes gradually sheds the passiveness to morph into a man who is relentless in his pursuit of the truth, confronting the big guys in his efforts to finish what his wife started. Underrated actress, Rachel Weisz shines in her role as a feisty heroine who uses almost any means possible to help her cause.

Suffice to say, that in order to fully understand and appreciate this movie, it is advised that you give it your full attention. There is a lot to take in with this story along with all the metaphors and symbolisms used. Be warned that this is not a James Bond kind of spy-action movie, but a complex and sad story about personal and political tragedy and betrayal. The tale interweaves romance, thriller and mystery cleverly and realistically to get your attention rapt till the very last minute. Undoubtedly you will be kept wondering and thinking about it even after it is over.

Movie Rating:

(A political thriller with a solid plot and intelligent lead characters, the film locations are beautiful and the actors are brilliant – watch if you are looking for something bold and different)

Review by Jolene Tan