Brilliant film. All the characters are richly drawn.
Much has been made of Lesley Maville's performance, quite rightly. But I was equally enthralled by Tom and Gerri. There seemed to be something aloof and condescending about they way they treated their 'friends'. It seemed clear to me that they gained something from taking in all the waifs and strays - which was both warm and kindly, but also ultimately self serving. Gerri in particular was sometimes cold and detached, as shown in her brutal take down of Mary in the penultimate scene (hiding behind her psychoanalytic clichés). This made the final scene all the more devastating as Mary realises she has been excluded from their inner circle.
I also found Tom to be the warmer of the two but hiding behind his work when things became tense. Yet Mary seemed to be the only one who could connect with Tom's bereaved brother.
Shout out to Karl too - a real force of nature who ignites proceedings!!
Much has been made of Lesley Maville's performance, quite rightly. But I was equally enthralled by Tom and Gerri. There seemed to be something aloof and condescending about they way they treated their 'friends'. It seemed clear to me that they gained something from taking in all the waifs and strays - which was both warm and kindly, but also ultimately self serving. Gerri in particular was sometimes cold and detached, as shown in her brutal take down of Mary in the penultimate scene (hiding behind her psychoanalytic clichés). This made the final scene all the more devastating as Mary realises she has been excluded from their inner circle.
I also found Tom to be the warmer of the two but hiding behind his work when things became tense. Yet Mary seemed to be the only one who could connect with Tom's bereaved brother.
Shout out to Karl too - a real force of nature who ignites proceedings!!