I, Anna

The erroneous synopsis to this stylish if slightly flawed thriller, does not do the intricate, complex story the justice it deserves. Barnaby Southcombe's debut feature is an adaption of Elsa Lewin's dark novel of the same name. Shot in various locations around London, it unravels the story of the relationship between a high ranking detective (Gabriel Byrne) investigating the murder of a no good low life, and a middle aged divorcée, Charlotte Rampling, with whom he develops a potentially damaging obsession. The film unfolds slowly but is worth the wait. The film engages the viewer as the pace quickens and story intensifies and things just gets better and better. Strong performances from the two stars as one would expect. A wonderful vehicle for Charlotte Rampling to prove a woman over 50 can be just as sexy and alluring as any 25 year old, she is totally convincing as the fragile, complex protagonist. And a real treat to have Eddie Marsan on screen, every film is improved by his presence, never puts a foot wrong, superb. London is a stylish but never overwhelming backdrop to this pleasing contemporary film noir. And a cracking soundtrack too...

Great atmospherics. A good take on aging and isolation. Rampling is superb as an older-middle aged, lonely divorcé entering the dating scene. Byrne fantastic as the flawed, troubled detective, trying to track down the killer of a sleazy drug dealer.

My "but" here is Rampling's character Anna. She has a back story, to be sure. Her use of public pay phones -- where would you even find them even in London of eight years ago? -- hints at this. So does the never-seen bedroom in her apartment. So far, so good. But the reveal is a five-second shot in a police station, which I almost missed if I had not paused and gone back a minute or two. And the eventual expansion of that bit of information in the last 15 minutes of the movie is ambiguous at best.

Byrne's detective is not given much of a story either. He has separated from his wife and living in a central London hotel -- kind of expensive for his presumed salary, I think -- but that's all we know. The plot involving the first suspect, a 15-year old step son of the victim, seems a bit tacked on.

That said, the directing and cinematography is haunting. London's brutalist Barbican development looks cold and mildly sinister. (Americans may think it is a low income housing project but the residents are actually middle class, professional types).

One of the spookiest scenes: Anna is in the ladies room at the Hilton, where the speed dating takes place. She encounters a much older woman, perhaps in her 70s, over dressed, too much makeup, and far too old for the crowd outside, who encourages Anna to "go for it." Just 30 seconds of the movie but I keep thinking, what's HER story? Is she even real? Restroom advice is always pretty bad in movies -- think of the Shining and Jack Nicholson' chat with the bartender -- but this proves to be a pivotal point in the film.

So great acting. Excellent directing. This movie would warrant a nine on my star-scale, were it not for the script.

I, Anna is an above average film noir atmospherically filmed in London. The usual noir elements are present: the cop with a failed marriage, the female suspect with whom the cop falls in love, nice use of London locations and cinematography to match it. The two leads are expertly played by seasoned actors Gabriel Byrne and Charlotte Rampling. It is a promising debut for Barnaby Southcombe, who has added a new element in his adaptation of the source novel, which has given greater depth to the story and characters.

A trivia point: Barnaby Southcombe is the real life son of Charlotte Rampling!

Small film made for TV. Very well done. Charlotte is great at playing the disturbed. I felt a disturbance in the force.

Passably interesting drama concerning a woman, Anna (Charlotte Rampling), attempting to find another partner - she frequents singles gatherings - and a detective, Bernie (Gabriel Byrne), coming off a marriage separation, who pass each other at a ground-floor, elevator door of an apartment building in which a man has been battered to death overnight in one of the lodgings.

Bernie finds an umbrella, in the elevator, which Anna forgot about as she walked away. Instead of returning the item, Bernie, later on, traces her car license, establishes her address and sets about meeting her again - at one of those singles gatherings. All this while he's investigating - actually, getting his number two, Kevin (the always-terrific Eddie Marsan), to carry the load - said gruesome murder. A sub-plot about a teenager needing money to pay back dealers muddies the waters, so to speak, implicating him as a suspect in the murder of the man - who happens to be his father; and who is, incidentally, a most unpleasant character.

As the main plot unfolds, we see - in flashback - what Anna did at her previous singles thingy, the night before; which also begins to suggest she might be involved with the murder. But, how? Well, that's what Bernie frantically tries to find out. And which I'll leave you to enjoy at your leisure. The denouement, however, will give you pause to think about just how well you know - or ever can know - another person.

Rampling always performs well in heavy dramas; in this, she does better than other roles she's had. Byrne, over the years, just seems to get parts that meld perfectly with his laid back - some might call it lazy - style of acting. Indeed, Bernie appears to be almost sleep-walking much of the time. The stand-out, though, in this offering is Eddie Marsan who, unfortunately, is not used enough; always a pleasure to watch his performance. The rest of the cast is uniformly good.

As for the movie's director of this well-constructed movie, it's more than interesting to note that Barnaby Southcombe is actually Rampling's son. Nothing like keeping things in the family, I guess....

If ten is top prize, this gets five.

July 26, 2015.