Movie Type: Psychological Drama, Comedy of Manners
Themes: Death of a Friend, Twentysomething Life, Looking For Love
Main Cast: Douglas Henshall, Tom Hollander, Bill Nighy, Clémentine Célarié, Josephine Butler
Release Year: 2001
Country: UK
Run Time: 86 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
This second feature from Boyfriends' directors Neil Hunter and Tom Hunsinger explores intertwined relationships in a sleepy seaside resort in the U.K., broken up into three segments. The film centers around the funeral of Stuart (David Coffey), the gay partner of Nick (Tom Hollander), who owns a local restaurant. Stuart's brother-in-law Dan (Bill Nighy) is a depressive farmer who lives with his wife Judy (Ellie Haddington) and becomes smitten with a French woman named Corinne (Clementine Celarie), a local florist. As Dan and Judy attempt to settle Stuart's estate, Dan gives into having an affair with Corinne -- but then ends up cheating on her with an amorous stranger (Sally Hurst). Meanwhile, Nick offers Stuart's straight best friend Tim (Douglas Henshall) a place to stay. Nick is furthermore disrupted by the advances of Charlie (Sukie Smith), a free-spirited woman who takes a liking to Nick and introduces him to hetero intercourse. The final section of the film centers on Tim who, after being abroad for several years, has a dalliance with shop owner Leah (Josephine Butler), who happens to be the former girlfriend of his adopted brother David (Stuart Laing). Also featured in the film are Dominic Hall, June Barrie, and Peter Symonds. ~ Jason Clark, All Movie Guide
Review
There aren't a lot of big surprises or revelations in The Lawless Heart, and the ending is a bit of a cliché, but overall this is a solid, well-crafted drama with fine performances. The tone tends to be melancholy, but the film isn't devoid of humor or hope and it's also appealingly unpretentious. Furthermore, the filmmakers show a keen eye for detail and a deft hand at juggling the disparate elements of the plot. The film shows how people's lives intertwine and how seemingly trivial background details have greater meaning once we understand their context; characters and events are introduced at the periphery of the story and then take on greater resonance when they are revisited later in the film, as we explore someone else's life. Granted, sometimes the story lines seem a bit sketchy, and one wonders if the filmmakers should have made different choices about which scenes to show us; however, most of the time it seems like the filmmakers made the right choice. ~ Todd Kristel, All Movie Guide
Ellie Haddington - Judy; Stuart Laing - David; Sukie Smith - Charlie; Dominic Hall - Darren; David Coffey - Stuart; J.M. Barrie - Mrs. Marsh; Peter Symonds - Mr. Marsh, Tim's Father; Tom Hunsinger; Jim McManus - Chef; Jessica Napier - Georgia; Richard Cant - Michael; Harry Dillon - Will; Sally Hurst - Michelle; Howard Gossington - Waiter; Alasdair Craig - Tim's Friend; Zoe Shipway - Jeweller; Barney Clarke - James; Will Hunter - Justin
Credit
Cristina Casali - Art Director, Ben Munro - Art Director, Linda Alderson - Costume Designer, Mark Fenn - First Assistant Director, Sonia Rai - First Assistant Director, Lorna Whittaker - First Assistant Director, Tom Hunsinger - Director, Neil Hunter - Director, Scott Thomas - Editor, Roger Shannon - Executive Producer, Jim Reeve - Executive Producer, Steve Christian - Executive Producer, Francesca Barra - Executive Producer, Annabel Cannings-Knight - Location Manager, Matthew Wortman - Location Manager, Mark Hudson - Line Producer, Adrian Johnston - Composer (Music Score), Adrian Johnston - Musical Direction/Supervision, Richard Kirstein - Musical Direction/Supervision, Lizzie Lawson - Makeup, Rebecca Cole - Makeup, Jane Turner - Makeup, Lynne Whiteread - Production Designer, Sean Bobbitt - Cinematographer, Martin Pope - Producer, Sophie Newman - Set Designer, John Pearson - Sound Recordist, Rod Woodruff - Stunts, Tom Hunsinger - Screenwriter, Neil Hunter - Screenwriter, Adam Suschitzky - Second Unit Director Of Photography, Peter Bond - Sound Effects Editor, John Blackmore - Animal Trainer/Wrangler, Miriana Dimitrijevic - Post Production Coordinator, Richard Lloyd - Post Production Supervisor, Gareth Bull - Re-Recording Mixer, Jane Jackson - Script Supervisor, John Downer - Supervising Sound Editor, Andrea Jaffe - Costumes Supervisor, Arabella Rhodes - Costumes Supervisor, Gordon Brown - Dialogue Editor, General Screen Enterprises - Title Design
