Still Life

Movie addicts have an affection for boring England. But the same goes for the British bureaucrat. The last one for whom the word Duty isn't empty.

In this version he works for the council, fixing funerals for the lonely. Nobody will attend, except for this official and the priest. It's Eleanor Rigby for real.

The last case, because his boss doesn't think he's efficient enough, makes this official trying to get in contact with the daughter of a deceased. To have at least one from a family at the funeral. It doesn't go like he expected, but there's suddenly an opening. Also for boring England.

Inherent in the very title of the film Still Life lies its biggest challenge – how to convey a sense of stillness in a medium that by its very name is supposed to, yes, move. And yet, Uberto Pasolini, who wrote and directed Still Life, rivals the Flemish masters of old. What a triumph. What layers of plot intertwined with those images to tell the story of a man who will break your heart a thousand times in each still life moment he creates in his very, very, very deliberate life. I am grateful to have seen this movie.

I named some of the still life images that were seared in my mind. Man in Kitchen with Plate on Drainboard. Man at Bus Stop… Alone. Safe Office Prison. Happy Death. Train Ride with Meat Pie. They go on and on. Two Drunks on Steps. Each and every scene is a moving still life that speaks to a life of safe deliberation that turns to moving outside the net of safety, that is punishable by death. We all know the dangers of leaving safe plodding behind. Those moments outside the box of life's monotony will be worth it in the end – and they were.

The acting is perfection. I'm sure even Lucian Freud would want to paint the actors Pasolini gathered for this film. How can we thank Eddie Marsan for bringing Mr. May to life with such dignity, charm and humor? Does he utter more than fifty words in the entire film? I don't think so, and yet, I heard his voice through the entire showing. And, Joanne Froggatt, (yes, from Downton Abbey), gifts us with a portrayal of Kelly Stoke that is the perfect answer to Marsan's May.

I have to confess when I went to the film I didn't realize that Pasolini was the producer of The Full Monty, The Emperor's New Clothes, and The Closer You Get. Producer? No way. Stick with writing and directing, sir. You are surely one of the best in the business.

Death will come to us all. It is our hope that we never die alone, with no one to celebrate our lives afterward. In fact, few of us think about those that do die without anyone to put them to rest. Still Life will change a lot of things for you if you can take it in as if it were a museum tour of a great exhibit. I think it's a 'see it more than once' film for sure. And yes, forgive the pun, it is an incredibly moving experience.

This might be The Hampton Film Festival's best sleeper this year. Congratulations. Oh, and thank you.

A tour-de-force by Eddie Marsan, in the quietest possible way. This is a poignant, thoughtful look at a man out of step with the modern world, who still holds to the (outdated) values of treating others with dignity and respect, in their last journey. He plays a British civil servant whose job is to organise funerals for those who have died alone, and locate their friends/relatives to advise them of their bereavement. After 22 years, he still pursues each new case with understated vigour, diligently seeking out anyone who may have had a connection to the deceased, but often being the sole attendant at the funeral.

It is a beautifully filmed slice-of-life on the themes of loneliness, loss and the disconnection of human beings in modern urban life. Marsan's performance is very authentic and affecting, and one is drawn in by his compassion and humanity. But then his Council decides it is inefficient - as a cost-cutting measure, you understand - to maintain his job, as "once they're dead, they don't care"... Marsan, battling till his final day in the face of bureaucratic indifference, finds some genuine connections and a ray of hope appears on his horizon...

This movie had lots of small moments of humour - a scene with two homeless men, and another with a Corrections officer are subtly amusing. But mostly, it is a thought-provoking homage to our humanity, and a reminder that social contacts with those we care for, are often the most positive, important and joyous moments of our lives. The movie sneaks up on you, and reaches into your soul, and I will remember it for a long time.

For me this was a film of two halves. The first half is setting the mood and pace. The music is lilting and swirls around the slow, deliberate focus on the lead charactor. This film is about attention to detail and compassion. What we are reminded of is how what may seem pointless or insignificant can be the a life's work for others. We are reminded of loneliness and contemplation. Our own families, connections and purpose. We follow John May in his journey, and we feel his heart.

About halfway through the emotion starts to build. The whimsical desperation of uncovering truth and trying to reach broken hearts and broken families. The stories that lie behind every person. The layers of charactor and how they present, to some a scoundrel to others a saint.

Finally, as the end of the movie approached, I cried.

Actually, I sobbed.

What was initially just something in my eye turned into streams of tears.

Although it could've stomped on my heart less, I loved the attention to detail, the acting and the cinematography. This film is one to remember for many reasons.

If I had to pick the most underrated actor in the whole of the movie business I would go for Eddie Marsan . A prolific actor who everyone has seen in one film or another and who never gives a bad performance and Still Life is the perfect example.

In this , Eddie plays a employee who dedicates his life to tracking down the next-of-kin and arranging funerals for his community's unclaimed dead.

It's a performance that is understated yet brilliant . You totally believe this man , who seems a little bit OCD and loves his job , that he will do what he can for these dead people and their families even though his own life outside of work is pretty non existent.

It's a very British film but I have no doubt it will appeal to any audience. It's obviously sad at times but it's also uplifting and thought provoking.

It's the best film I've seen in quite a while and I highly recommended it.