Lawless Heart

Cast: Douglas Henshall, Tom Hollander, Bill Nighy, Clémentine Célarié, Josephine Butler, Elaine Haddington, Sukie Smith
Director: Neil Hunter and Tom Hunsinger
Genre: Comedy/Drama
Rated: MA 15+ medium level sex scene, medium level coarse language
Running Time: 100 Minutes

We think we live in a rational world...then we screw it up

Synopsis:
'Lawless Heart' begins with the funeral of Stuart, a restaurant owner, who drowned off the Isle of Man. Yet during the course of the film, we will return to the funeral twice before taking leave of Stuart's baffled and careworn friends and relations. Neil Hunter and Tom Hunsinger wrote and directed this delightful and absorbing movie, and have hit upon an ingenious structure. They tell three stories that unfold simultaneously, but present them serially.

My Verdict:
'Lawless Heart' is a charming and fascinating story about the friends and family of Stuart, whose funeral starts the movie and where we are first introduced to the three main characters that will each have a mini-chapter of their lives told. The stories are told concurrently yet presented episodically, so that they form layers over one another and create links to explain events.

First to meet is Stuart's brother-in-law, the rather gloomy Dan (the wonderful Bill Nighy). At the funeral, Dan is drawn into a flirtatious conversation with the local florist, Corinne (Clémentine Célarié), whom he can't quite decide whether to find attractive or not as he is, after all, married to Stuart's sister Judy (Elaine Haddington). Yet, lurking in the background is an urge for Dan to be tempted into something, whatever it is. Next to meet is Stuart's partner Nick (Tom Hollander) who is plagued with a desperate need to be with somebody to quell his intense loneliness and soon finds himself with a pesky and annoying girl, Charlie (Sukie Smith), who has decided she will take Nick on as a cause. Charlie is one of the most irritating characters ever created and is very hard to warm to, yet beneath the veneer she too, is desperately lonely. Lastly, Tim (Douglas Henshall) arrives late at the funeral; not even knowing it is Stuart's funeral. Tim is the penniless wild free man, once a hippie and still trying to be one, who flitters his way around the world until he meets Leah (Josephine Butler) and is unexpectedly smitten. This is a love that is new for Tim and takes him some time to explore.

Using the original structure of the trio of interlocking episodes allows for the characters to develop over time and allows for explanation of some of the events, past and present. As time passes after Stuart's funeral, each of the characters has time to explore their feelings about Stuart, their family and friends and mostly about themselves. 'Lawless Heart' is witty and wry, sensitive and seductive and most importantly, thoroughly enjoyable. This is an insightful story, which captures emotion through a range of settings and it is wonderful to watch the story unfold.

Rating : B+

Christina Bruce