DVD Reviews

The Constant Gardener

• Rating:
• Director:
• Starring: Hubert Kounde
• Details: UK, 129mins, 15A.

When Tessa Quayle (Weisz) is found murdered on a remote Kenyan road and her travelling companion Arnold Bluhm (Kounde) is nowhere to be found, her grieving husband Justin (Fiennes) goes on a journey to discover the true cause of her death. It is being put to him by officials that Tessa and Arnold were having an affair and that Arnold murdered her before running off. However, the situation is murky. Tessa, a doctor and a Human Rights campaigner, had been investigating suspicions that wealthy Western pharmaceutical companies are using experimental TB drugs on African HIV patients, considered to be 'expendable'.
The Constant Gardener is an astute political thriller, adapted from John le Carre's novel, juxtaposed with a tender love story. Directed by City of God's Meirelles, this is a provocative film which strikes the right balance between politics and personal relationships, espionage and true commitment. Never laborious, Meirelles' use of retrospect is both effective and involving, setting up the background story and giving the viewer plenty chew on. Weisz is remarkable as the feisty humanitarian, while Fiennes' contrasting taciturn performance works remarkably well against Tessa's tactile nature. As the plot gets denser, the director keeps a clear head, making The Constant Gardener both a beautiful piece of cinema and devastatingly valid.

Review by Elaine Reilly