Ending up watching it last night with a friend. First the funny though not intended. I pass a lot of films back and forth between this friend, he has made the observation a couple of times that I tend to like films that just suddenly end without anything really happening. So we get to a scene where they are sitting around a table, eating, drinking, like many other scenes we watched before when he commented that knowing me this film will just suddenly end... and then the film just suddenly ended. Well, it doesn't sound so funny, so you had to be there.
The film itself I loved, the acting and writing all seemed very real. I can't recall a moment where it seemed forced or not natural down to every look and glance of the characters. I am not sure why, I haven't really watched any Mike Leigh films before but think I will try to find what ever else I can here.
Why this works? I suppose at some point in our lives, we have probably been in such roles as many of the characters, even if we don't burden our friends with such issues. But hopefully, we don't get stuck in the rut that Mary has gotten herself into with little hope to get out.
Are Tom and Gerri bad people? I don't think so at all but I suppose it will depend on how you view your own role compared to those in the film that may effect how you think about this.
I could only think at times, to a much lessor degree, how I may have jumped back and forth to the roles these characters are playing in Another Year. Maybe for a couple of years after my last relationship ended, I spend most of my most of my Fridays at Friend A's house. Having dinner with him and his wife and little girl who has a crush on me much to their horror. Then Saturday's at Friend B's house with his wife and children. We talk, laugh, eat, and drink wine. But seldom do we go to places like this film, it is not pleasant to burden friends and acquaintances with your misery (not that I would say I was anything like Mary).
Likewise, for the last 2 years I have met up with another friend who goes on and on about bad things happening in his life, many of those are a result of having made some calculated decisions which probably were not the best to make at the time. What can I do about it? There is little solace to say, "I told you so." Besides, the past is done has little value to go through unless you are trying to learn not to repeat certain mistakes. But for certain reasons, there is very little in my life I can ever talk about as it is involves a subject that seems to be permanently off-limits. So the friendship comes down to a lot of him talking and me listening which can get a but exhausting.
But I don't see anything horrible in Tom and Gerri, quite the opposite. They seem to be people that we should strive to be, they made good decisions, raised a good child and can enjoy the later years in their life. Do they owe more to their friends? Or maybe their friend's owe it to be more fair to them? I find it hard to judge as what we get are slices of what is going on with these characters.
Are these the only friends that they bring into their lives and entertain? Do they have better adjusted friends that we do not know about? Are there other times when they are around Mary where she isn't in complete despair and seeming to be living a much healthier life. Are we only seeing her at her low points? We are left to only those points in time that are on the film so only have that basis to go on but I would hope to strive to be like Tom and Gerri.