Still Life
Directed by:
Uberto PasoliniScreenplay:
Uberto PasoliniCinematography:
Stefano FaliveneComposer:
Rachel PortmanCast:
Eddie Marsan, Joanne Froggatt, Karen Drury, Andrew Buchan, Paul Anderson, Bronson Webb, Lloyd McGuire, Neil D'Souza, Rhodri Hosking, Chris Cowlin, Ian Mann (more)Plots(1)
Inconspicuous loner John May is a council official doing a job few would find rewarding. His duties involve organising funerals for "clients" who have no-one to care for them after their demise. His profession, the only thing which gives any meaning to his monotonous and reclusive existence, nevertheless soon starts to complicate his life. Following the death of a neighbour, May puts all his efforts into solving what will probably be his last official case: he needs to find the family and close friends of the deceased to allow them to say their final farewells. The film, inspired by real events, takes a highly sensitive and empathetic view of the phenomenon of solitary death, a subject Western civilisation chooses to neglect. This leisurely paced film possesses an inner strength facilitated by the collaboration of remarkable directing talent Uberto Pasolini and leading British actor Eddie Marsan, who gives a highly credible performance as the withdrawn funeral officer. (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival)
(more)Reviews (3)
Instructions on how to earn a nice afterlife... The director’s approach to the story is minimalistic, is neither riveting nor surprising, and is sometimes even boring, only to make sense of everything in the end. And then, while finally letting Rachel Portman’s fragile emotional music properly resound, moves you and hits you right in the feels. It was a commendable idea to film such a human destiny.
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Still Life isn’t easy to watch. However, I believe that if you try it out and power through the first 20 minutes of the strange, unusual and silent atmosphere, you’ll be happy in the end. Because Joe isn’t so average after all. He’s lonely and he has a weird job working with cadavers, which isn’t exactly a win. In any case, even a guy like this has feelings and the movie Still Life showcases them beautifully, including a gorgeous, almost dream-like ending that might be sad, but it’s happy at the same time since it underlines a person’s life. Thanks to the gorgeous environment of the British coastal countryside and the story itself, this movie is definitely worth watching. I watched this for the Challenge Tour 2015.
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This is a small film, one of those that can charm you, even if such films are not necessarily cheerful. Indeed, the message of Still Life is rather sad. Eddie Marsan was perfectly chosen for the role and it suited him perfectly. The film's finale is tragically beautiful, something not every director manages to pull off this well.
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