It was "Surpise Sneak Preview"-Thursday again and we were happily anticipating the upcoming movie when Éric Cantona's name appeared in the opening credits. A name that rings a bell, even for those not interested in football*, owing to Cantona's infamous "Kung Fu"-style kick in 1995, against a spectator who racially insulted him. For an exemplary "enfant terrible" like Cantona it was probably inevitable that he would eventually end up being a movie actor.
As we compared our impressions after the movie was finished, a friend of mine explained she didn't enjoy it very much since it was "a movie about football". In retrospective, I really don't agree with that. Granted, football plays a major role in this movie, but I felt it was mainly there to serve as a metaphor. More importantly, Ken Loach lets us partake in Eric Bishop's life, and it's not a very sunny one. Stuck in a shabby apartment, divorced from his second wife, left with two kids who don't respect him, secretly smoking his son's gear, Bishop spends most of his time longing for this one woman he used to love decades ago.
Steve Evets does a great acting job depicting this shattered man, instantly taking us in and making us feel his distraught. This is done so well that I actually thought, oh no, not another "Requiem For a Dream", where all of the characters slowly and painfully disintegrate until the peak of disaster is finally reached.
And maybe this is why I liked the movie so much. It starts out genuinely depressing, but when Bishop's idol Éric Cantona suddenly appears out of nowhere and shares his spliffs with him, Bishop slowly gets his act together and things start to improve. He realizes that maybe his ties to friends and family are stronger than he thought. He finds the courage to meet the woman he once loved and talk about the past. In the end he even manages to free his son from a thug gang's violent grasp.
I especially liked the scenes between Eric and Lily. A couple, carefully approaching each other after years of dreadful silence, trying to avoid a minefield of unspoken resentments, is surely not the easiest acting task. But the conversation is always believable and just the right tone. Also, Evets shows remarkable versatility - ranging from gentle ex-husband to furious, desperate father. What an agreeable contrast to the banalities I was confronted with last week, watching "Couples Retreat". Oh well, I'll stop ranting.
Still, there are a few flaws. I know Cantona has done his share of movies before this one, but I dare say his football is better than his acting. He played a likable enough character and I cannot say I didn't enjoy it - it's just that he always looked a bit stiff and wooden in comparison to Evets. The film's genre mixture might put some people off - fans of romantic dramas might not appreciate the gangster element whereas football aficionados won't be touched by the exploration of father-child relationships. Personally, I didn't mind at all and thoroughly enjoyed the plot's turnaround from its totally miserable start to the feel-good ending.
If you, like me, are a fan of British movies, you will find this film appealing. It is discovering little gems like this what makes me go see a surprise movie every Thursday - again and again.
---
* "soccer" to our American friends
As we compared our impressions after the movie was finished, a friend of mine explained she didn't enjoy it very much since it was "a movie about football". In retrospective, I really don't agree with that. Granted, football plays a major role in this movie, but I felt it was mainly there to serve as a metaphor. More importantly, Ken Loach lets us partake in Eric Bishop's life, and it's not a very sunny one. Stuck in a shabby apartment, divorced from his second wife, left with two kids who don't respect him, secretly smoking his son's gear, Bishop spends most of his time longing for this one woman he used to love decades ago.
Steve Evets does a great acting job depicting this shattered man, instantly taking us in and making us feel his distraught. This is done so well that I actually thought, oh no, not another "Requiem For a Dream", where all of the characters slowly and painfully disintegrate until the peak of disaster is finally reached.
And maybe this is why I liked the movie so much. It starts out genuinely depressing, but when Bishop's idol Éric Cantona suddenly appears out of nowhere and shares his spliffs with him, Bishop slowly gets his act together and things start to improve. He realizes that maybe his ties to friends and family are stronger than he thought. He finds the courage to meet the woman he once loved and talk about the past. In the end he even manages to free his son from a thug gang's violent grasp.
I especially liked the scenes between Eric and Lily. A couple, carefully approaching each other after years of dreadful silence, trying to avoid a minefield of unspoken resentments, is surely not the easiest acting task. But the conversation is always believable and just the right tone. Also, Evets shows remarkable versatility - ranging from gentle ex-husband to furious, desperate father. What an agreeable contrast to the banalities I was confronted with last week, watching "Couples Retreat". Oh well, I'll stop ranting.
Still, there are a few flaws. I know Cantona has done his share of movies before this one, but I dare say his football is better than his acting. He played a likable enough character and I cannot say I didn't enjoy it - it's just that he always looked a bit stiff and wooden in comparison to Evets. The film's genre mixture might put some people off - fans of romantic dramas might not appreciate the gangster element whereas football aficionados won't be touched by the exploration of father-child relationships. Personally, I didn't mind at all and thoroughly enjoyed the plot's turnaround from its totally miserable start to the feel-good ending.
If you, like me, are a fan of British movies, you will find this film appealing. It is discovering little gems like this what makes me go see a surprise movie every Thursday - again and again.
---
* "soccer" to our American friends