The Constant Gardener Reviews

I already saw this movie but since it was a while back and since I have it on DVD, I was quite eager to check it out again. I remember it very well, the first time around, since I am a huge fan of ‘Cidade de Deus’, I had some really high expectations with Fernando Meirelles's directing follow up. It was, this time, an international production, a spy thriller written by John Le Carré, and he had also a top cast at his disposal. On top of that, even though it didn’t become an instant classic like his previous feature, it was still critically heralded and Rachel Weisz even won an Academy award for her performance. Well, in spite of all this hype, to be honest, I was slightly disappointed and, after rewatching the damned thing, I still ended up with the same feeling. I mean, I really loved Meirelles's visually style and all the actors involved did deliver some solid performances but, eventually, even though the plot was entertaining, I was hoping for more. At the end of the day, it was a decent but still rather generic conspiracy plot, nothing much more than that I’m afraid and I don't think I really cared much about the combination with this love story. Furthemore, it is always rather disappointing when a story like this one takes place in Africa and there were still barely any African characters involved at all. Anyway, to conclude, even though it was not as great as I expected, it is still a solid thriller and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

When does someone's struggle to make a difference go too far? When that person ends up dead, apparently. That's what happens to Tessa (Rachel Wiesz) when she attempts to reveal a cover-up involving a pharmaceutical company being unfairly tested on African Natives.

The protagonist of the film is Justin Quayle played by the great Ralph Fiennes. He's an easy-going kind of guy, a British diplomat prone to puttering around in his garden. He meets, Tessa, a humanitarian, while giving a speech on diplomacy to a bored audience.

She stands up and argues her ideals to him, which he takes well. After a discussion, Tessa apologizes, and they go to her house and have a one-night stand. Justin might not think much of it. He may, considering his most intimate moments involve plants.

Whether or not he expects her to come back is not clear, but return she does, and with a surprising proposition. The proposition is a marriage of convenience, so that she can go to Africa with him.

Time passes, and the marriage becomes strained. Justin suspects Tessa of having an affair, and is disconcerted by how much time she spends with fellow philanthropist Arnold Bluhm (Hubert Koundé.) Tessa is disheartened by Justin's consistent uninvolvement, and a sudden tragedy presses down on them.

And then she's gone. Reeling, Justin focuses on her final project, the unveiling of a conspiracy that she never got to complete. In doing so, he finds himself on dangerous ground, but cannot bring himself to return to his plants.

I honestly cannot find much fault with this movie, a well-developed thriller with terrific acting. The cinematography, story, and character are all well-done. I liked the relationship between the two main characters and how it wasn't heavily romanticized or glib like a lot of romantic couples in movies.

Unlike the overrated Academy Award Nominee "Blue Valentine," the lead characters are likable and engaging. In this movie, Ralph Fiennes proves why he he one of the best of modern thespians. With each facial expression, he conveys a world of emotion. He never over-emotes or 'stage-acts,' and remains believable throughout the movie.

The only complaints I have is that some of the child actors are not up to par with the script, and the black characters (other than Arnold Bluhm) are not terribly developed. Lastly, I think that most people can relate to Justin's involvement with his own personal interests. I think there is more of the constant gardener in us then we would care to admit.

''I can't go home. Tessa was my home.''

A widower is determined to get to the bottom of a potentially explosive secret involving his wife's murder, big business, and corporate corruption.

Ralph Fiennes: Justin Quayle

Rachel Weisz: Tessa Quayle

Powerful, emotional, political; The Constant Gardner is an adaptation of astounding resonance of John le Carre's novel and behind the film Jeffrey Caine's screenplay and City of God Director Fernando Meirelles.
The story and journey of one man trying desperately to find an answer to the loss of his love; His wife. In truth, a nightmare and a love story that sadly entwines but you still feel through flashbacks, the resonance of something that can never be extinguished.



The performances and acting from its two lead roles Rachel Weisz and Ralph Fiennes simply are incredible and wondrous to witness.
Ralph's performance and portrayal as Justin is top standards while Weisz as Tessa shines like she did in The Fountain and shows a performance worthy of the Oscar she plucked from her emotionally charged portrayal told sadly but effectively in past tense.
The romantic portion of the film was immortalized by the two characters Justin and Tessa(Ralph & Rachel). Their first meeting was dynamically presented as Tessa; a social activist verbally toying with Justin as he makes a political speech. When the hall was cleared, however, it was Justin who was actually comforting Tessa after her outburst. The juxtaposition of the placid, passive Justin versus the fervent, hyper-kinetic Tessa was brilliantly established in this scene alone.

The strands of thriller and social realism are inextricably tied together in the film. As a film noir detective piece; The Constant Gardener seeks to uncover what actually happened to Justin and Tessa on their African journey. At the same time, the main culprit that emerges is the heavy hand of greed as the pharmaceutical companies exploit helpless victims of tuberculosis for the purpose of testing and marketing an experimental drug. At one point in the film, it is disclosed to Justin that the pharmaceutical industry is no different than arms dealers.

This film truly rewards its audience as it works on so many levels. Like Crash you won't be able to stop pondering over every thing you've just seen. The politics here are engaging and bound to stir up even the most complacent viewer. What's even more amazing is that all of the timely political discourse and subsequent thriller aspects of the film,courtesy of the source material, John Le Carre's novel, are wrapped up in an immortal romance. We the audience join Fiennes on his journey across Africa, and we rediscover the love story between he and his wife that ties the film in a poetic realism usually reserved for movies with much less on their minds.

To top it off, it's all delivered in the maddeningly genius Meirelles style that took critics and audiences by storm in his debut masterpiece City of God. We have the shaky hand-held camera darting through vibrant and colorful third-world locales juxtaposed with jaw-droppingly gorgeous aerial photography of Africa in all its glory. Meirelles again shows us he is a true artist and visionary willing to show both the shocking beauty and abject horror of the people and places that populate his films. Again he delivers a message that people are doing horrible things to each other, everywhere.

With City of God he seemed to be saying the only hope is to document and record it. The Constant Gardener makes that argument again and takes it one brilliant step forward. We may not be able to stop a war or a huge global injustice, but we do have the power to help one person at a time. It takes a courageous film to make such a statement, and a brilliant film-maker to deliver it, and that's just what The Constant Gardener achieves.

Fine performances that reside in Constant Gardner not only come from it's two leads but come from Bill Nighy who manages not to be funny, Danny Houston who's in loads of good films recently, and Hubert Kounde who proves it's the quiet ones you got to watch.

The Constant Gardner often hurts to watch, performances yes it's five stars, but I think it's a movie that has so many levels of expressing the tragedy and materialism of human beings. The rarity being those two people; Firstly Tessa then later as he reveals the truth Justin standing against corruption. The catalyst being greed and the ultimate cure and salvation being love.
Losing a loved one is a very hard thing for anyone and to watch another man go through that pain, hurts beyond mere words.
The hopelessness, the injustice and that sometimes your enemy, the ones you were fighting are right back at home. In this regard The Constant Gardener is significantly masterful in it's wisdom and the message hits home with a bitter aftertaste and an emotional assault on our feeling and our fears.

This film is beautifully slow paced and encapsulating. A startling film that deals with issues deeply embedded within all of our lives; love, trust, and the search for truth. Exploring the point to which we are prepared to stick to our integrity and follow our convictions, whilst also tackling enormous political and economical issues of illegal drug production and trials on the poor of Kenya.
A young politically charged student (Weisz) who marries her tutor and British Diplomat. (Fiennes) They migrate to Africa where his career diplomacy allow Weisz to channel her findings (despite obvious opposition and resistance) along political avenues, the results of which her husband must pick up and piece together, whilst battling through personal and political levels of deceit and betrayal.
Despite sounding like another political ‘anti west’ film, Fernando Meirelles’ deals mainly with the value and cost of human life and the dedication to humanities plight on a personal basis, which is what makes it so appealing and affective.
There aren’t many films within this genre that allow me to empathize with the character and genuinely believe and share in their zeal and willingness of self sacrifice for a greater good, and ultimately love, but this stunning film is most defiantly one, a modern masterpiece.