Andy Kelleher’s accomplished drama debut is packed with deft performances as its characters make the best of a grim situation
Andy Kelleher has directed documentaries about the film-makers Carol Reed, Alan Clarke and Chris Petit, but now makes an accomplished fiction debut with a film hovering in the edgelands of London, the south-east and on the protracted plains of middle age, receding out towards uncertainty. It concerns a medical diagnosis that should be devastating, but – aided by a deftly off-key performance from lead actor Cathy Naden – actually functions as an awakening.
Naden plays fortysomething history lecturer Kathy, whose impulsive behaviour has begun to unsettle her friends. Stuck in a zombie marriage, she takes up with gangly, long-haired landscape gardener Nick (Jerry Killick) after throwing him a line next to his vintage BMW: “You can take me for a spin some time.” Alarmingly forthright has become her social modus operandi.
Andy Kelleher has directed documentaries about the film-makers Carol Reed, Alan Clarke and Chris Petit, but now makes an accomplished fiction debut with a film hovering in the edgelands of London, the south-east and on the protracted plains of middle age, receding out towards uncertainty. It concerns a medical diagnosis that should be devastating, but – aided by a deftly off-key performance from lead actor Cathy Naden – actually functions as an awakening.
Naden plays fortysomething history lecturer Kathy, whose impulsive behaviour has begun to unsettle her friends. Stuck in a zombie marriage, she takes up with gangly, long-haired landscape gardener Nick (Jerry Killick) after throwing him a line next to his vintage BMW: “You can take me for a spin some time.” Alarmingly forthright has become her social modus operandi.
- 8/30/2021
- by Phil Hoad
- The Guardian - Film News
It’s hard to imagine a time when a television show had the power to dominate an audience, so much so that it was on five days a week and was an event every single day. Maybe it’s easier to envision now in a post-pandemic world, or because our love of recent nostalgia still looms large. But in 1998, when “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” became a smash in England, the world looked very different. Personal computers and the internet were gaining traction, but it wasn’t easy to put a question in Google and find an answer. Maybe that’s the problem with watching this narrative treatment of the show’s creation and the cheating scandal that would….eventually….do something to it?
Because you can Google everything about what “Quiz” shows over its three episodes it only illustrates how truncated and basic Frears’ drama is. With each...
Because you can Google everything about what “Quiz” shows over its three episodes it only illustrates how truncated and basic Frears’ drama is. With each...
- 5/29/2020
- by Kristen Lopez
- Indiewire
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.