Heartlands

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.

You should like this film if you are a motorbike fan, if you liked seaside resorts as a kid, if you like gentle folk music, or if you were in the Brownies. In some ways it's a typical British film: understated humour, overstated contrasts between the good and the bad in English landscapes, various characters who overdo British stereotypes, and a hero who's a wimp; but it also carries the usual themes of a road movie, albeit more slowly than many road movies. It's also about "heart", in the figurative sense, which is about the only relevance the title has to the film ... except that the road trip goes across the central hills of England. It's obviously a low budget film, but it shows what can be achieved without big special effects.

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.

Saw this in a film class when I was studying in Ireland and got to participate in a Q&A with director Damien O'Donnell (other films to check out, East is East and the short 35 Aside.) I was very saddened to discover that it has not had, and will probably never have any kind of wide release.

It is the story of Colin, a sweet, bumbly darts enthusiast who embarks on a trip across the British Midlands in search of his girlfriend and his life.

I thought it was a beautiful and captivating film that broke my heart and lifted it all at the same time. I have never felt so empathetic for a protagonist before and the experience is one I'd love everyone in the world to have.

The word on the street is that a certain Miramax executive has decided to sit on this gem of a film indefinitely and I think that is beyond wrong. It is totally sublime and should get it's day in the sun!

To be honest I only got this film (on my Xmas list!!) as I have become somewhat of a Kate Rusby anorak over recent months!! Knowing that the beautiful Barnsley lass featured in a cameo and contributed to much of the soundtrack (along with her hubby the incredibly talented John McCusker) was enough for me to get the film, expecting everything else to be incidental. The music is wonderful (as you would expect from Ms Rusby!) and to see the lady herself singing was an added bonus.

However, the film itself surpassed all of my expectations and left me sitting there at the end just thinking "what a really lovely film", yet without being twee. In many ways it came across to me as an example of what British film can do best; quietly humorous, great characters and a rolling story that gently unrolls from a simple plot. Man loses wife, man sets out to find wife, man finds wife.

I genuinely warmed to the main character Colin (especially after he got his hair cut!!) which was superbly acted by Michael Sheen as he set out on his moped to win back his wife. The scenery (and music!) were wonderful and the simple but real characters he came across during his quest added up to a superbly crafted film. The Eric Bristow obsessed darts playing newsagent seemed an unlikely character to warm to but this film achieved that with ease.

A lovely, warm, amusing film that far exceeded my expectations and one that I would recommend to anybody that appreciates good quality British films.