Even the extraordinary talents of Jim Broadbent and his screen wife Penelope Wilton aren't quite enough to make this meandering 'road' movie worth the effort.
Curiosity is piqued enough to engage us at the beginning, because the 'why' of the protagonists actions is withheld from us. The slow, episodic and meandering narrative journey is occasionally interesting, sometimes believable, sometimes not, but JB can and does hold our interest with that rare gift of the genius actor, a glimpse at a 'real' human.
When we do finally learn of the 'why' it's a sort of confused thing that requires us to understand and care about the various weaknesses and failures of our hero and to a lesser extent his wife. This is easy because they have endured something terrible, however they then did or didn't cope and whatever they did or didn't do as a consequence. But then as the denouement appears and we might expect some emotional pay off, there is none. Or at least none that justifies all that investment. Did the pilgrimage make a difference to anyone? Did Harold really learn anything? Is forgiveness required, does forgiveness matter, does it need to be articulated to count, who knows, and it feels like the director doesnt care to show us her view. In what is for me a failure in much modern storytelling, we are again it seems to make up our own minds. Fine, I'll decide what i believe or not, but at least show me what you feel and what the characters believe, right or wrong. Tell the end of the story and ion your bloody flag to the mast. Personally I can't not enjoy Jim Broadbent on the big screen in almost every scene. But i Can feel flat at the end when it all ends with a Phfft. One more thing...why cast Linda Bassett ands then give her nothing to do? What a waste. I hope she was well paid.
Curiosity is piqued enough to engage us at the beginning, because the 'why' of the protagonists actions is withheld from us. The slow, episodic and meandering narrative journey is occasionally interesting, sometimes believable, sometimes not, but JB can and does hold our interest with that rare gift of the genius actor, a glimpse at a 'real' human.
When we do finally learn of the 'why' it's a sort of confused thing that requires us to understand and care about the various weaknesses and failures of our hero and to a lesser extent his wife. This is easy because they have endured something terrible, however they then did or didn't cope and whatever they did or didn't do as a consequence. But then as the denouement appears and we might expect some emotional pay off, there is none. Or at least none that justifies all that investment. Did the pilgrimage make a difference to anyone? Did Harold really learn anything? Is forgiveness required, does forgiveness matter, does it need to be articulated to count, who knows, and it feels like the director doesnt care to show us her view. In what is for me a failure in much modern storytelling, we are again it seems to make up our own minds. Fine, I'll decide what i believe or not, but at least show me what you feel and what the characters believe, right or wrong. Tell the end of the story and ion your bloody flag to the mast. Personally I can't not enjoy Jim Broadbent on the big screen in almost every scene. But i Can feel flat at the end when it all ends with a Phfft. One more thing...why cast Linda Bassett ands then give her nothing to do? What a waste. I hope she was well paid.