Algumas Vozes

I've watched two films tonight back to back; Ken Loach's Ladybird Ladybird and now Some voices. What a double bill and compelling evidence that British film is wonderful. Daniel Craig is Ray, recently released from a psychiatric hospital. He meets the lovely Glaswegian girl Laura (Kelly Macdonald) and is so happy he thinks he no longer needs his medication. His brother (Scouser David Morrissey with a very strange and to be honest sometimes offputting Southern accent) looks after him through thick and thin. Blood is thicker than water and all that. A beautiful story of love and humanity against the backdrop of mental illness. A moving 8 out of ten

This was a film I saw completely "on spec" having not heard of it before. As is often the way, when there are no expectations to be dashed, the experience was entirely worthwhile.

Without giving too much plot away, our hero - or more accurately our anti-hero - is discharged at the start of the film from a psychiatric hospital. He is returned, with a large supply of tablets, to his brother's care within "the community". When he falls for a woman, who reciprocates, life seems better than it has ever been, and he begins to question whether the endless tablets are actually necessary.

This is a film which is above all honest. The performances are truthful and insightful, and the characters are drawn sympathetically but not blandly. We are shown flaws and strengths, and we are invited to observe and empathise but not judge. The laughter - and it is not in short supply - comes from the foibles of the characters we are presented with, and as in life, provides a welcome relief from the more tragic elements.

As the film moves towards its conclusion - via a 10 minute sequence of genuine breathtaking tension - the answers provided are not easy, and the loose ends are not tied up, yet this acts not to frustrate the viewer but simply to reinforce that this is the genuine article - life has no easy solutions.

I have rated this film as a 9 out of 10; it lacks the perception about the human condition, the wider scope or relevance of, say "American Beauty", but that was never its intention, and it is designed, I suspect, with a smaller audience in mind. It is, however, a beauty in its own right, and I would whole-heartedly recommend it as a thought- provoking way of spending a couple of hours.

I only saw the last hour of this film but it is an excellent insight into mental illness, as well as the urban jungle of London (west London and Acton/Shepherds Bush, in particular).

Daniel Craig is brilliant (never heard of him before) as the mixed up man who visits and stays with his brother and frequents his quaint little bistro in the high street.

Lots of Godard-style jump cuts and freeze-frames, presumably to mimic the mind of a schizophrenic, accompanied by a fine soundtrack. Another great little motif is having all the characters live or work next to very busy thoroughfares - Ray's brother (Peter Macdonald) of course lives on the third floor at the same level as the flyover about 50 feet away, with constant motion and noise.

The film even features cooking lessons at the end, as Ray is quietly rehabilitated, ironically set and filmed in the hinterland of Jamie Oliver, the original 'naked chef' on BBC tv who is always shown at some point traversing these same streets on his Italian moped (always wearing a crash helmet, of course!). Daniel Craig is more authentic as he's seen naked in the street during a crisis.

The film's quite emotional, too, especially the kitchen arson scene where Dave is visibly concerned.

Daniel Craig seems reasonably suitable for the role, good also the chemistry with his on screen girlfriend Kelly MacDonald, absolutely adorable as the wee Scottish lass romantic interest! The movie has a rather poetic quality, the poetry of everyday life, and a fairly good insight into the little important things which constitute our existence, more than into that mythical and mysterious condition: schizophrenia. When the movie approaches this ground the stereotypes start to pile up mercilessly, but then again the movie is still a cut above a lot of other films which have in the past tried to deal with this subject. Cue the almost Nouvelle Vague romantic feel of the Hastings day out scenes, on the beach and in the hotel, Kelly MacDonald swimming in the huge sea-of-white bed to the tunes of a French song. Intriguing and fascinating the London backdrop: a moody sky, a crowded street, evening falling outside, inside a room, in front of a window.

I saw this film recently, when it was briefly shown at the Cambridge Arts Picturehouse. My concentration didn't waver throughout the whole film. For me, the story was told in such a way that it was essentially a truthful one, without needlessly tugging at heartstrings or indulging in gratuitous fun at the expense of the leading character. I work in mental health, so a film such as this one sits better with me than 'Me, Myself & Irene", which, to be fair, I have not seen, and which I know is intended as a comedy. 'Some Voices' has comic touches, but these are humane, and do not detract from the fact that this is the story of a man who wants a life, but finds it hard to accept the conditions that other people seem to be placing on him. I was totally gripped from start to finish, and would urge others to see this film, and also, to enjoy the great soundtrack, which only fades away in a moment of high drama towards the end but otherwise accompanies the action very sensitively,and does not get in the way of it. This film deserves a lot more exposure than I guess its independent status will ensure. Go and see it, or get your local independent cinema to put it on!