This Life + 10 (2007) (TV)

Director:

Joe Ahearne

Writer:

Amy Jenkins (creator)

Release Date:

2 January 2007 (UK)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

The friends reunite for Ferdy's funeral and old tensions rise.

Plot Keywords:

Funeral | Reunion | Old Friends | Documentary Crew | Drugs

Cast

Jack Davenport	...	Miles Stewart
Amita Dhiri	...	Milly Nassim
Jason Hughes	...	Warren Jones
Andrew Lincoln	...	Edgar 'Egg' Cook
Daniela Nardini	...	Anna Forbes
Jodie Whittaker	...	Clare
Linh Dan Pham	...	Me-Linh (as Linh-Dan Pham)
Deborah Findlay	...	Doctor
Nick Sampson	...	Priest
Mark Lawson	...	Interviewer
James Greene	...	Judge
Joanne McQuinn	...	Audience Member
Nicholas Beveney	...	Bailiff
Shakeel Orr-Deen	...	Oscar
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Stephen Humby	...	Passer By

Runtime:

UK:90 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

The original cast, executive producer, creator and writer were all re-united for this one-off special.

Movie Connections:

Follows "This Life" (1996)

We're still left wondering.

Plusses for '+10' included that the dialogue was mostly good, and informative as far as it went, with a little work on our part (replaying is a good idea).

The characters, too, are still as they were, but their histories and relationships are more dodgy. How likely is it that Egg, of all people, would be able to produce a book deep enough to analyse Anna?

The ending, with an aimless Miles just walking away from his life, was also a bit unbelievable. Anna seems still to have some unresolved, derailing baggage from the past that prevents her from being able to fully commit to a present that maybe, deep inside, she doesn't quite identify with, since in some way it's a sidetrack for her, not the way she was meant to go. The idea of total commitment terrifies her since she'll lose out on what she really identifies with, lost though it is. So she can love Miles, but her deep reservations mean she can't act on it.

How did Egg and Milly get back together? The writer of the last episode of the original series -- Richard Zajdlic? -- was obviously told to draw the kind of line under it that would make it impossible for any part of the story we'd been following to continue. He drew the firmest and thickest line I've ever seen in my life! Yet we had been asked to treat This Life as real life, and in real life, things DO continue, and they DO require an explanation. So what happened after the wedding? Did Rachel quit MSW, knowing a vengeful Milly would make her professional life unbearable? How did everyone end up having to leave the house, if that's what happened? We have a right to know!

Maybe the cast can reassemble in the relatively near future for a programme (within a programme, if it's not too complicated) about the filming of Egg's book -- which can't have finished with Miles' wedding -- and their reminiscences can correct the film's inaccuracies, so that we can have some CGI flashbacks to the house, etc. How about it, Amy?