“Another Year”: My Thoughts
“Another Year,” which is showing at the New York Film Festival after successful screenings at Cannes and other fests, is a well-observed exploration of unhappy late-middle-aged people (such as Lesley Manville and Ruth Sheen, pictured) trying to figure out their lives. It is downbeat to watch. I’m glad I saw it on the big screen, because the emotions the movie’s director, Mike Leigh, is capturing on the faces of these plain-looking people simply won’t have the power on your screen at home (no matter how jumbo-sized). That said, I didn’t find the flick nearly as affecting as my favorite among Leigh’s output (“Secrets and Lies,” “Abigail’s Party”). On the other hand, Leigh with his London settings hasn’t fallen quite so far as has Woody Allen with his New York backdrops. (Or with European backdrops that still give off the whiff of Ralph Lauren privilege.) Leigh makes a movie every two years or so; Allen rolls one out yearly. Maybe Mr. New York could learn something from Mr. London about the benefits of slowing down the output.
