Heartlands

Heartlands is wonderful. It is beautifully shot and, as I have come to expect of Mr. Sheen (Colin) at least, remarkably well acted. The movie made me laugh out loud - twice - without having to resort to potty jokes or sloppy slap stick humor. It also made me cry, not because it is an intrinsically sad film, but because it is in part the story of Everyman. Unless a person is remarkably dull or a recluse, there will be moments in this film that could have been taken from the pages of anyone's life. Granted the characters and situations are a bit larger, if not more colorful, than one might typically expect to encounter, it is Mr. Sheen's ability to humanize them that touches.

Without spoiling things for people who haven't seen the film, there is a scene in this movie that will stick with me forever. It is so full of simple, unburdened joy that anyone who sees it will be instantly both amused and completely charmed.

Call me Quixote, as I am off in search of windmills.....

Story: Cuckolded shopkeeping darts enthusiast, Colin, sets off cross country to win back his wife. Out of his routine life and familiar home town and passing through the beauty of the Peak District to the brashness of Blackpool, Colin meets with a series of people and incidents that shape his new life. Funny and very human.

How this film got zero publicity (apart from a few dismissive reviews) at the time of its cinematic release and is still not available on video/DVD is a mystery. It is witty, charming, beautifully shot, with excellent performances. The seven day structure to the story, in which a simple man's simple life is utterly transformed, underlines the foregoing monotony of the lives of all of the characters. The fabulous cast play their roles for all they are worth with out hamming it up. There are grotesques, but overall it is a subtle portrayal. The Northern setting allows for drab urban to glorious country to kitch seaside backdrops, and the provincial anonymity is used to indicate the everyman nature of the protagonist, not to present him as a local curio. The are any number of excellent cameos, not least Kate Rusby's set of folk songs, and the red moped!

There is a real and wonderful visual artist behind HEARTLANDS, but I am not certain if it is the director--or his director of photography. This movie is so beautiful to view in terms of composition, clarity and color that I found myself trying not to blink for fear of missing something. (Even the beginning, set in a heavily "industrial" neighborhood, manages to look interesting. Then, two-thirds of the way through, there is a "grainy" section in an amusement park, and damned if THAT isn't beautiful, too!) I don't recall director Damien O'Donnell's "East is East" as being anything special visually, so perhaps the beauty is due to the photographer. Whatever: "Heartlands" is utterly lovely to look at--and more. It's that rare movie in which kindness takes a front seat, and you find yourself increasingly joyful due to the simple, caring things that one person does for another.

The main character here is a poor schlub who wife soon leaves him. Played beautifully by Michael Sheen (of the OCD-driven "Dirty Filthy Love"), this guy seems borderline feeble (particularly when he tries to tell a certain story/joke and can't begin to manage it: the writer and director go a bit too far here). But as he begins to re-order his life, he--and the movie--just gets better and better.

In its quiet and thoughtful way, this one left me feeling buoyant--on some non-drug-induced "high"--as any film I can remember in a long while. I hope it'll have the same effect on you.

At first sight this seemed to be one of those cheapo, feature-length, depressing British films that I have grown accustomed to over the past few years.

I could not have been further off the mark. The characters were lovable, even if they weren't very realistic. The acting was very natural, and each scene was shot beautifully.

I had not seen the Hero's Journey narrative used in this context before, but it worked well. Aided by the original Folk music score by Kate Rusby and John McCusker, the beautiful montages, and the unexpected resolution, this film brought a few tears to my eyes, and made me feel content.

One of the best movies I've seen in a long-time! (We rented it purely on the off-chance (there was nothing else that caught our eye).

Beautifully acted and well-directed, what really made this film for me was the cinematography; the film is beautiful shot. From the grim cityscapes of Sheffield, across the scenic Peak District, to the garish tourist-trap that is Blackpool, the film brings northern Britain to life.

The soundtrack, by British folk legends Kate Rusby and John McCusker is haunting.

A wonderful, under-rated movie that helped restore my faith in the power of cinema after one too many Hollywood CGI-fests.

Enjoy.