Morvern Callar (2002) User Reviews

Generation Existential

[ThurstonHunger · 7/10 · 5 February 2004]

I purveyed the comments on IMDB before deciding *first* to read the book and then watch the movie. I think this was the right move, and would strongly advise those so inclined to do the same.

So, Samantha Morton may be the greatest silent film actress of the 21st century. Her muteness in "Sweet and Lowdown" and "Minority Report" and now here speaks volumes. Seriously though she took on an extremely difficult character to portray, one whose impenetrability is at her very essence, Ms. Morton made this character seem real.

Real, albeit alien. But then a degree of alienation I think comes with what I perceive as an existential novel and film. Initially in the book, I felt that Alan Warner, the author, was too removed from his main character...across chasms of gender and age.

But as I read the book, and now watch the film...it seems to me that Morvern is a person removed from herself. Many of us fill up our days, our thoughts and such online sites as this with words.

Words....words...words.

Morvern is almost sub-literate, her interaction with publishers in both book and film is thus comical, in a sort of Chauncey Garner mode of just being there. Morvern's character always lived through her senses more than her mind. As did her best "friend" who ultimately remains the happy hedonist.

But Morvern...like the many insects shown onscreen...moves on, not with any necessary destination...she just moves for the sake of moving. I think that this ultimately is the light this film brings. I can see how others cite grief as the focus; both the suicide that impels our story, and the hotel interlude near its crossing raise the spectre of death around Morvern.

However, I see her as more absent than abjectly anguished in both of those pivotal scenes... This is the conundrum of Morvern Callar for me, while I'm attracted to such an existence, the fact that I consider it...means I'm already living more through mind than senses. If she's remote to herself, than that puts me at an even greater distance. I think this was underscored by the soundtrack switching from sound to softened sound to silence throughout.

One word about the soundtrack, where's the Peter Brotzmann? Now that's a sensory overload that shuts off my mind in favor of the senses. I was hoping more of the bands featured in the book would have made it to the film. I thought that the artists listed in the book, typically the heroes of college DJ's and other overthinkers made a remarkable contrast with Morvern's seeming simplicity.

But there's more to her than meets the eye...and...the ear, the tongue, the nose, the skin...just as there's more to this film than others' comments would indicate.

7*/10

* Again I encourage folks read the book and then enjoy the film as a chaser of sorts to flesh it out.

Less Morvern Caller, more Lynne Ramsay

[paul2001sw-1 · 6/10 · 11 March 2004]

I haven't read the book of 'Morvern Callar', but I have read a couple of other works by Alan Warner, both of which where distinguished by their spiky characters and irreverent tone. This film, however, is made by Lynne Ramsay, whose first work was 'Ratcatcher', a move both astonishingly affecting and almost unwatchable. In 'Morvern Callar', she opts for a similarly intense style. Ramsay is a master of certain cinematic tricks, which she uses with more skill than discretion: frequent cutting (both within and between scenes) and the use of fragmentary, non-explanatory dialogue. She succeeds in conveying a sense of alienation and a semi-documentary feel, but there's no relief, no variation in mood at any point in the film. Samantha Morton (too old for the role and, crucially, not Scottish) plays Morvern as a kind of semi-moron; and yet their are times when the film seems also to be presenting her as a deep and knowing soul, a not altogether happy conjunction. Also worthy of criticism is the peculiar soundtrack: the songs we hear just don't sound like what we would expect a girl like Morvern to listen to, feeling instead like a heavy handed attempt by the director to set the scene from the outside.

Perhaps I am being too hard on the film because it wasn't what I expected from my knowledge of the writer. Once I got over this, I did quite enjoy it, many individual scenes are very nicely crafted, and the loose, drifting plot has its own appeal. But it feels more as if it was based on a short story than a novel, and Ramsay's determination to show Morvern as a victim (it's never clear of what) strips it of its potentially comic dimensions and leaves us with a thin outline trying too hard to assert its own significance. An interesting film, but one that appears to have lost sight of its purpose.

Someone else's dream

[davek28 · 6/10 · 17 November 2002]

I looked at my watch quite frequently during Morvern Callar. I first felt impatient during the opening sequence which seemed unnecessarily drawn out. I'm sure living with a corpse in a small apartment for apparently several days can't have been very pleasant as decay starts to set in.

There are other parts of the film that just don't ring true, either. How did she use her boyfriend's debit card to get access to his entire balance? Also, I can't believe that the publishers would find her a credible author. I would have been very suspicious of her attitude and empty-headedness.

There were some beautiful images and some likeable scenes in this film, but it was like sitting through someone else's dream. The more I think about this film the less I really like it. Downgraded from my initial score of seven to a six.

I have to say that Samantha Morton is a superb actress. She doesn't play a part so much as become the part. I only hope that she's grounded enough in real life to survive this kind of immersion in her roles.

The art of not being

[futures-1 · 13 November 2007]

Samantha Morton stars as a "morally ambiguous" young Scottish woman who seems to come into and go from her life and surroundings without the least bit of effect from others or towards herself. I would almost label this film an Existential effort, but the main character, "Morvern Callar", DOES occasionally seem to connect with someone or something… seem… Samantha Morton does a wonderful job creating a character that deserves no attention, yet keeps you watching. Think of this story as one expressing Distances – Detachments – Disabled Psyches. Her reactions seem consistently inappropriate – ill timed for the moment. Her socialization gene was stunted at birth. Life, for better and worse, is little more than water off her back. She's not being mean, she's not being ironic, she's not being moody. She's just not being. (PS: If you have trouble with Scottish accents, prepare to concentrate.)

Don't Try To Understand

[McHenry · 6/10 · 15 January 2005]

...is what her boyfriend wrote. The exact could be said about this film, which tends to sink into art-house 'quicksand'. A challenge to our ability to adopt suspension of disbelief. A girl comes home to find that her dude has offed himself, so she then dresses up, goes out for a night of debauchery and sex, comes home and hacks up the boyfriend into manageable pieces and then totes him into the woods, where she buries his parts, spins a few times with her arms outstretched like Christ, and dangles her hand into the cool water of a creek. Later she takes her close girlfriend for a vacation to Ibiza, then proceeds to abandon said friend in the desert, and finally fraudulently claims her dead boyfriend's unpublished novel as her own and sells the rights for 100 000 pounds. It starts off fairly annoyingly, but then starts to endear a little (or maybe I was just drunk, as I was enjoying a bottle of excellent Australian red during the movie) but finishes off really deadbeat. No real problem with performances, but the too-low audio while the characters were talking, complicated by mumbled Scottish dialect was contrasted with cranked volume during the score which embodied by far the strangest musical choices for a soundtrack in recent memory. I do like many unusual films like those of David Lynch (as another comment mentioned), but Lynch goes strange with every character and the movie as a whole, so then all's fair for the course of his films. The plot in this movie is somewhat vacuous. If this movie asks us to relate or empathize with the responses of the main character, then there are going to be problems for the typical viewer. Perhaps the film is asking us to ask ourselves what we would do.

Lacks integrity

[howard.schumann · 6/10 · 26 January 2004]

If you are feeling too much Christmas cheer left over from the holidays, a perfect antidote is Lynne Ramsay's second feature Morvern Callar. Based on a 1995 novel by Alan Warner, Morvern Callar, superbly performed by Samantha Morton, is a 21-year old supermarket clerk in a Scottish town who wakes in a semi-stupor to discover the sprawling corpse of her boyfriend on the kitchen floor. With Christmas tree lights flashing, she caresses his body but seems unable to act rationally. All she can think to do is open the Christmas presents that include a music tape labeled "Music for You".

She also finds a note in which he apologizes for his act, directs her to publish his recently completed novel, and reveals that he has given her access to his bank account. Morvern does not tell anyone about his death and astonishingly no one asks any questions. Matter of factly, she changes the name on the novel to her own, mails it to a publisher, then cuts up his body in the bathtub, and buries it using only a flat-bladed garden tool.

Using her newfound money, Morvern takes her girlfriend Lanna, played by nonprofessional actress Kathleen McDermott, to the Costa del Clubland in Spain on an extended vacation. They engage in drinking, sex, and drugs to the beat of a hip rock music soundtrack that includes The Velvet Underground, Aphex Twin, and Can. Ramsay creates a technically stylized dreamscape in which physical sensation takes the place of narrative, dialogue is sparse and self-examination is non existent.

When a publisher offers Morvern an advance of 100,00 pounds for a novel she did not write, she believes she has found the ticket to endless pleasure and, after an argument, ditches Lanna somewhere in the Spanish countryside but remains closed and enigmatic to the end. Morvern is impenetrable and unreflective, content to drift along in a mental and physical haze, lacking any sense of right or wrong or feelings for others. Morvern Callar is a beautiful looking film and an enticing sensual experience, but ultimately I found it uninvolving and lacking in emotional depth or integrity.

A work of art, a novel and a painting come to life.

[azeemak · 10/10 · 2 November 2002]

After all the hype that greeted Lynne Ramsay's first film, Ratcatcher, which I didn't see, I approached this with caution. The presence of Samantha Morton was my guarantee that it would at least be watchable, as she's never yet put a foot wrong on screen. And boy was my faith rewarded! It's a long time since I've emerged from a cinema so entranced, and then started itching to see the film again just a few hours later.

Samantha Morton's performance is truly extraordinary, bringing to life this mysterious, inscrutable woman who is at the same time very alive and in-your-face, not out of place getting smashed at a party, yet seeming like an alien as she wanders around listening to her walkman with a dazed 1000 yard stare. I was amazed to read that Kathleen McDermott, who plays her best friend, is a non-professional; it says a lot for her performance that she holds her own opposite such a stellar talent - and also says a lot for the naturalism and generosity of Morton's performance.

Some critics have been much exercised by the implausibilities in the plot (around the fate of her boyfriend's body and the dealings with the publisher, for example). I don't care about all that stuff! This film is as far away from gritty realism as it's possible to get. Go with the flow and soak up the atmosphere is my advice.

You may read that this film is beautifully photographed, that every shot is a small work of art, exquisitely composed and framed. If not, you've just read it from me. That's all very well, of course - they say the same things about Peter Greenaway, who as far as I'm concerned would have been burnt at the stake in a more civilised age. The difference here is the warmth and seeming spontaneity of Lynne Ramsay's work. I didn't hear a voice shouting "look at me, aren't I beautifully filmed??". She doesn't tell us, she just shows us, revealing a gift for finding beauty in the mundane.

The other stroke of genius in this film is the soundtrack - and I don't just mean the music, although that is brilliantly chosen, revealing a trace of gallows humour in the film's grisliest scene; no, just the use of sound, the way we can hear everything, even the cockroach scuttling along the hotel room floor; and the way some of the conversations fade in from a distance, but in such a way that we can still just about hear what is being said.

For once, the hype is justified: Lynne Ramsay is the real deal, and Samantha Morton deserves another Oscar nomination for this breathtaking performance. Unreservedly recommended. So there.

Read Me!

[sol1218 · 7/10 · 1 April 2008]

(There are Spoilers) Out of the ordinary film about a somewhat whacked out young woman Morvern Callar, Samantha Morton, who's discovery of her live in boyfriend James Gillespie dead in their apartment on Christmas Eve drives her off the deep end.

James for some reason killed himself by slashing his wrists just as he finished his great Scottish novel. Leaving instructions on his computer, but not saying why he did himself in, for Morvern James tells her to get his "litereary masterpiece" published as a last favor for him. If she wasn't nuts already, before discovering James dead, Morvern completely losses it not even bothering to report James' death to the local police or health department. This has James lying in the apartment for almost a week slowly decomposing, as well as attracting flies and roaches, where Morvern had to finally get rid of him. She does this ghastly job by chopping James' corpse up into little pieces and dropping them off in the woods outside of town.

Now with her wiring James' novel to British book publishers Tom Boddington, James Wilson, and his girlfriend Venessa, Linda McGuire, Morvern plans to get in touch with them in Andulucia in warm and sunny Southern Spain, from cold and damp Argyll Scotland, to see just what they both think of it. Morvern not only sent the novel to the London book publishers but also, something that they don't know, put her name on the manuscript as if she, not James, wrote it.

The remainder of the film has Morvern who empties out her late boyfriends James ATM account, of over 3,000 pound sterling, together with her best friend Lanna, Kathleen McDermott, traveling to Spain for a long vacation. Lanna has no idea of what her friend Morvern is really up to in that she keeps James' death from her as well as his unpublished novel. Lanna doesn't know that she's only going along with Morvern just to keep her company until she contacts Tom & Venessa who by now are very interested in having her ,or really James, book published. We have a number of sexual escapades with Morvern and Lanna with some young men they meet at a local hotel in Spain with Morvern getting seriously involved with the boy from hotel-room #1022, Raife Patrick Burchell.

Raife had just learned that his mother passed away and Morvern hearing him sobbing in his hotel-room offers him comfort, as well as sex, to ease his terrible loss. It seemed to me that Morvern saw in Raife the same loneliness and depression that she's now suffering from because of her lover, James Gillespie, suicide.

It's later when Morvern has Lanna rush out of the hotel, with only her underwear on, for a taxi ride into Central Spain that Lanna finally realized that her good friend is on the verge of having a nervous breakdown. Leaving Lanna alone, with enough cash to get back to Scotland, Morvern finally gets in touch with Tom & Vanessa about her book that their so impressed with. It's then when Morvern starts to get second thoughts in what she's doing, stealing James manuscript. But with the 100,000 pounds sterling advance for her, or James, book offered by Tom & Venessa has Morvern suddenly change her mind.

****SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT ON****Half baked ending with Morvern back in Argyll Scotland, with a check for 100,000 pound sterling, getting in touch with a surprised Lanna at the local watering hole. Offering to take Lanna on another European tour Morvern is rebuffed by Lanna telling her that the boring life in Argyll is just find with her. Lanna seems to have had enough of Morvern and her hair-brained ideas of what a good time really is. Alone with Lanna not there to share her money with her Morvern is last seen sitting on the dock of the railroad station waiting for the train to pull up and take her for a long ride out of town.

Despite having a very confusing story that just goes on and on without, in most scenes, making any sense at all "Morvern Callar" has some of the best and eye popping, mostly in the scenes in Spain, cinematography I've ever seen. It's for that and that reason alone that "Morvern Callar" is more then worth watching and sitting through.

Staggering brilliance

[BTW23 · 10/10 · 21 January 2003]

The only negative thing I can think to say about this film is it's off-putting title that almost prevented me from finding it. I am very glad that I did. This film, from the first frame to the last, has delivered everything that I as a lover of cinema am searching for. From a well-crafted script, to expert direction, from ethereal camera work, to a heartbreaking soundtrack, from the amount of space it allows it's vision to the pitch-perfect performance of Samantha Morton (who has clearly earned to be mentioned among the finest of today's working actresses'). While critics are still busy patting themselves on the back for being "open" enough to praise "Y Tu Mama Tambien" and "getting" "Adaptation" this incomparable piece of work makes both look like the immature work of a child while going largely unnoticed. I can only hope that some how, some way people who love film find their way to this movie. Such high praise would usually indicate a difficult film, and the subject matter or synopsis of plot would also lead you to this conclusion but I think many will come out of this film pleasantly surprised by how accessible and relevant it's story is.

A worthy effort and worth the wait as the film pulls to a close

[Chris_Docker · 7/10 · 15 August 2002]

(contains some plot spoilers) Scottish film director Lynne Ramsay's second feature has elements that remind us of the best and worst of European art house cinema. Exquisitely photographed, a tale sensitively and unhurriedly told, and an attitude that gives the audience some credit for seeing beneath the surface rather than being spoon fed the plot, the point, and the feelings of the characters. We also have to wait interminably, trusting to Ramsay that there is going to be some justification for watching such shallow characters living shallow existences for ninety minutes.

For a long while we have kitchen-sink, Mike Leigh type characters - two young women who work as assistants in the local supermarket - set in Oban (for non-Scots - a picturesque town on the west coast - a nice place to retire to but emphatically not the place to Get Ahead in Life.) The only thing that sets them apart is that one of them woke up to find her boyfriend has committed suicide.

There is hardly any dialogue in the first ten minutes. The camera leads up to the moment when Morven, idly caressing her boyfriend's arm as she awakens (probably after a night of drink and drugs), discovers he is dead, but cuts away just before the actual point of discovery. This device is used more than once by Ramsay, forcing the audience to become introspective about the emotional drama that is unfolding off screen. Morven spends several days in denial, not even moving the body. Eventually, after some soul searching, she takes his finished novel which he has left on the computer and inserts her own name for his before sending it off to the publisher. There is a bad goof as she repeatedly presses the 'delete' key on the keyboard to delete the name from the end, whereas a delete key would delete left to right (ie from the beginning).

The next interlude is rather tedious as she sinks into a hedonistic life of drink and drugs with an equally empty-headed girl. The film is visually appealing and the camera handed with consummate skill, but we can't help asking why expend so much art on two such unempathetic characters and a story that, other than for an unusual start, hardly seems worth telling.

The denouement comes only towards the very end of the film. Vicissitudes whilst on holiday in Spain together pull the girls in different directions. Morven tries to find something worthwhile beyond the endless round of sex, laughs and intoxication - at least believing now that something more is possible. Her friend simply says that "it's the same crapness everywhere" and has no hope of getting to a better place, but merely wants to alleviate the badness of the situation she finds herself in. Morven has matured into a more serious person. The book publishers visit her in France and offer her £100,000 for the novel. When she says she is a check-out assistant they assume that she is talking about her next book. Not only through the development of her character, but through the eyes of others, who are believing the best in someone (even if it is on a false premiss), we glimpse that there is a greater individual within the most mundane and hopeless of personalities. This is perhaps only one of a number of possible interpretations, but it is one that made the viewing, at least for me, worthwhile.

Ramsay's film didn't get off to the best of starts at its UK premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. Running in three screens on the same night, Ramsay attempted to introduce it in each, which meant that the audience in one auditorium had to wait half an hour with no explanation before the film started. Unusually for a premiere, they filed out afterwards without any applause. Morvern Callar is a respectable movie however and worth the effort it demands.

Ultimately flawed, but with some good ideas

[themiddletwenty · 5/10 · 18 November 2002]

For me, the most notable thing about this film was the scarcity of dialogue. It is a brave move on the director's part for sure, but for a film that tells a story of personal awakening (of sorts), the infrequent speech means we can never be sure of what Morvern is thinking or feeling. We don't get much help from the camera either - the film is exquisitely shot, but many of the scenes have a confrontational, tense and opaque sense of aesthetics - there is not enough variation in feel to tell the story of someone who changes their life completely.

My reading of Morvern Callar (as a film and a character) is of a woman who escapes from a humdrum, ugly life. Through personal awakening, art and good fortune, she comes to embrace a more bohemian and expansive existence. In short, she learns to live.

It's a big story and a big theme - yet we never really understand how and why Morvern comes to change her entire outlook on life. Neither do we hear enough from her to mitigate the more unpleasant sides of her character - her frequent (and occasionally sociopathic) lack of emotional response, her selfish excess, her deliberate mistreating of her friend. I suspect she is supposed to be a hero of sorts, but she could equally be an anti-hero or even something in between. We just never find out enough about her - in her words, anyone else's words or the director's shooting of her.

I'm glad that the film has made me consider questions like this, and as an intellectual exercise it's therefore quite enjoyable. As entertainment, as statement or as spectacle however, it's quite badly flawed.

very strange, but very good

[Classybird · 8/10 · 20 November 2002]

I won't summarise the plot as it is done so by other reviewers.

This is a highly original and unconventional yet mesmerising piece and I agree with many others that Lynne Ramsay is an exceptional talent, who possesses a vision the likes of Guy Ritchie could never even begin to imagine.

This is not an easy film to watch and it requires patience and concentration. Ramsay lets the film unfurl, slowly, with confidence and an assured touch that uses mystery and a touch of incoherence to create a confusing but oddly compelling dreamscape. Where are we? What are we seeing? What exactly is Morvern thinking and feeling? She is clearly in a very strange, disorientated headspace and this film is perfectly engineered to assist us in understanding and occupying that space.

The mystery and enigma of Morvern is wonderfully portrayed by Samantha Morton and the soundtrack encapsulates the atmosphere, as does the lack of incidental music.

Those that want to quibble over inconsistencies such as the direction of the computer keyboard delete key and whether it is in fact possible to bury a body on the moors with a trowel should get over it, step back and look at the big picture.

Hollywood reversed

[b9AcE · 7/10 · 16 August 2003]

This is not an ordinary movie. This is in fact the opposite of ordinary movies.

Mainstream ("Hollywood") cinema of today seems (to me at least) to have lost touch with the artistry displayed by previous masters such as D.W. Griffith, Carl Theodor Dreyer and Ingmar Bergman. The art of not just telling a good story, but also telling that story in a good way. This is, in my opinion, done in a very nice way by Lynne Ramsay and her co-workers in this movie.

The things I'm talking about, which they excel at in this production, are all the things that they used to tell the stories in the silent-movie era:

* Lead actors/actresses which can actually cary the movie by facial expressions and screen-presence.

* A soundtrack which works actively to amplify the current situation, as opposed to just being "the next hit single".

* Directing, which include scenes that don't necessarily forward the story, but are used solely to convey the current mood of the characters.

If you just want a good story, you could read a book. To me, seeing a movie is about also getting the extra workmanship of acting, soundtrack and scenery, as perceived by someone else. That is what you get in this movie.

Unfortunately I don't think this performs very well as a movie-script. It may be an brilliant book, I haven't read it, but as a script I find it just plain boring and overly predictable. Having saidthat, I would recommend this movie to anyone who would like to see some excellent cinematic work.

Not just telling a story, but telling it good...

Callar waiting

[masterjk2 · 4/10 · 22 March 2008]

I have to admit that I stuck this one out thinking something would have to happen, besides the dead body in the first scenes... and her disposal of him. I was wrong. It was a cinema verite of Betty hits the Beach encased for the first part by Mordant Morven. I really don't care what young lassies from Scotland do these days, who thy screw, what drugs they take. Visually, the stroll through the Cabo de Gata in Andalucia was pleasant and surely the high point for me. The nadir was the chop shop for her dead boyfriend. As the movie came to a close I had two thoughts... 1. That's all there is? 2. Now I see why her boyfriend killed himself. Rename it. "Bare Bitch Boredom, or What I did on my trip to Spain." I'm such a sucker for sticking these things out.

So much that is good about it, but yet so much that is bad

[bob the moo · 14 March 2004]

Morvern comes home one day to find her boyfriend dead on the floor, having committed suicide. In an effort to help her get over his dead, he has left her a note, his money and his first novel - which he wants her to publish. Unsure what to do with herself, Morvern continues living her life, pretending she doesn't know where her boyfriend is; she puts her name on his book and submits it to a publishing house before taking his money and setting off to Spain for a holiday with her friend Lanna.

I taped this film and it became one of those films that I knew I'd never totally be in the mood for - it is always easier to watch some junky action movie on a wet, cold evening rather than something requiring thought. Also the reviews on this site seem to be split between `best film ever' and `worst film ever', something that is never a great sign. Anyway, I decided to watch it as I hoped it would be thought provoking and interesting. I had tried to watch Ratcatcher but had been turned off by it's failed attempts at insight or meaning and I was hoping that this film would either tone that down or actually make it work.

Sadly it didn't really do either. The plot is rambling and is more about Morvern's life and actions after her boyfriend's suicide forces her life to change. In this regard it is quite interesting in theory - Morvern appears to be tired of the life of empty clubbing etc and is looking for `somewhere beautiful' to live. As a look at her character the film interested me and the lack of `action' that some have bemoaned wouldn't have been a problem for me if it had done this well; but it doesn't. It is pretty meaningless and the film really does nothing to help you understand this character or what she is feeling or what she is going through. I am not adverse to films like this, but I do appreciate just a little bit of help in knowing what is going on! As it was, the film overdoes the meaningful shots and symbolism to the point that it left me needed to do just too much work to be able to be on the same page as it.

I realise that, for some, the idea that 20 people can watch it and each come out with 20 different films is a good thing - usually it is for me too, but I do prefer a film to have a firm structure or meaning to it - that will usually allow room for interpretation; but leaving the whole film to interpretation is an issue - especially when someone has gone to the problem of developing this character.why not use that rather than hiding it? Morton is really good and it is clear she knew her character and was well directed. She conveys quite a lot and her performance is one of her strongest I've seen. If only the film had backed her up instead of totally relying on her, mostly silent, performance to explain Morvern to the audience. Support from McDermott is also very confident and natural. The direction is quite good - good use of space and location, some clever shots and most of it does look quite beautiful. The only problem I have with Ramsay is that she seems determined not to help anyone get into her film - she uses way too much heavy meaning, metaphors etc and doesn't support them with anything real.

Overall this was still an interesting film but also a frustratingly empty and hollow one. The heart of the story has been twisted to deliver lots of `deep' insight and symbolism but yet nothing is left on the surface to act as our way in. Morton tries really hard to deliver audience understanding but it is too much for her to do it alone. Worth a look simply because it may connect with you and you will be in the `best film ever' camp, but be warned it could as easily have you bored out of your skull. For me, it interested me and made me think but Ramsay did too good a job at shrouding her story in arty pretensions to allow an idiot like me to be part of it. A shame.

Sam Morton: Doing More By Doing Less

[flickershows · 7/10 · 30 June 2004]

Right from the eye-catching opening visuals, this is one enigmatic movie. A friend told me to see it, but this same guy insisted it was called "MOVERN Callar". If movie fans aren't even clear what the name of the flick is, it must be low-low-budget and a few fields off the beaten path. I knew the fundamental reason to see this film was the remarkable Samantha Morton. This actress seems infinitely capable of playing any kind of wide-open emotion, but she also manages to keep plenty of secrets. Critics have gone on at length about her expressive face. And they should. She does more by doing nothing than most actors do by doing everything.

Morton plays the title character, a Scottish supermarket employee whose writer boyfriend has inexplicably offed himself on Christmas. The rambling plot shows how Morvern handles his suicide. She keeps the gifts he left under the tree, she covers up his death and doesn't tell anyone what really happened, and she even scams his just-completed novel for herself. Why? Well, I can't tell you that. Writer/director Lynne Ramsay's best move is to let her star actress play every scene as simply and as non-explanatory as she can. Morvern's actions are not normal. You're going to have to decide what's really going on in her head.

'Morvern Callar' is all mood and attitude, a true character study. There's no real story. I might love this movie like a cherished stuffed animal if I ever saw it again because there are scads of fascinating details throughout. Too bad it unravels a bit during the third act. The road trip with buddy Lanna (Kathleen McDermott, in an interesting acting debut) loses steam and I started to tune out. But Ramsay does an okay job of balancing the strangeness of this story with the genuine feelings of a lower-class girl who's lost her man to his own self-pity. Samantha Morton single-handedly makes this peculiar movie worthwhile. To offset shapeless and frustrating scenes, there's Morton, completely committed and believable. Not a great movie, but what a great performance.

Incipient boredom

[=G= · 6/10 · 18 December 2003]

"Morvern Callar" is somewhere between a slice of life film and a character study. Though anything which could possibly spoil this very limited film appears in the plot outline and critical reviews, just to be safe...SPOILER ALERT!! This marginal film goes something like this: Callar (Morton) finds her writer boyfriend dead from suicide, disposes of the remains, rips off his manuscript, sells it, the end. That's the whole story. To stretch it into 96 minutes, writer/director Ramsay had to show Callar brooding, pondering, partying, bathing, eating, having sex, traveling, hanging out, etc. In other words..."Morvern Callar" is crammed with inconsequential filler which serves only to build some depth into a rather uninteresting character in a somewhat interesting circumstance. Nonetheless, "Morvern Callar" is a critics darling with good marks from the public at large. The art is good, the sound not so good, no CC or subtitles (on my DVD), cast limited, acting good but easy, locations okay, and sundries all good. Recommended for film buffs, UK or Euro pic lovers, and Morton fans. (B-)

Enigmatic, strange and beautifully made

[dr_clarke_2 · 9/10 · 1 November 2021]

Scottish director Lynne Ramsay followed up her debut Ratcatcher with Morvern Callar, an adaptation of Alan Warner's novel of the same name that Ramsay co-wrote with Liana Dognini. It proved that Ratcatcher was no one-off, cementing Ramsay's reputation as a visionary director of strikingly beautiful but quite odd films.

Morvern Callar follows the eponymous character, whose response to her boyfriend's suicide if to dismember him, bury his remains, claim authorship of his book, and go on holiday to Spain with her best friend Lanna. There, they take drugs, have sex with random men, and generally embrace hedonism. Callar remains an enigma: there's no suggestion that her relationship was abusive, and her calculating response to her boyfriend's death isn't explained. Arguably she's a psychopath, but nothing is explicit; dropped from the novel are her pregnancy and any insight into her thoughts or feelings. All the possibly baffled audience is left with is actions to observe and from them draw one's own conclusions.

Ramsay almost certainly wouldn't have it any other way. As demonstrated by Ratcatcher (and her subsequent films), she has a minimalist attitude of dialogue, much preferring to show rather than tell. It is several minutes into the film before we hear anyone speak, during which time we learn of Morvern's boyfriend's death and see the note he left for her. Lengthy sequences are dialogue free, or at least free of any meaningful dialogue. And so we watch as Callar careful cleans up blood and sets about hacking up a corpse, all whilst listening to music, and then cheerfully burying the parts in heather-strewn countryside. The only barometer of what she is thinking is the expression on Samantha Morton's face.

Morton's casting as Callar is a masterstroke, as she thrives in a film that requires her to do a vast amount of work with very few lines. In as much as the audience is privy to Callar's thoughts, it is because Morton occasionally lets us see them, or at least think that we do. She makes the character likeable, even when she's committing chopping up a corpse or cheerfully committing fraud. The only other cast member of real note is Kathleen McDermott as Lanna, Callar's friend who is dragged along in her wake and abandoned when she shows dissent with Callar's single-minded drive for conscience-free happiness. None of the other cast members put a foot wrong - it's inconceivable that Ramsay would allow them too - but they are bit-part players, supporting characters on Morvern's life far more literally than is usually the case for the protagonist in a film.

The other star of course is Ramsay herself, who is capable of making visually stunning films about deeply morbid people and places. The film is mostly shot in Scotland and Spain, with Ramsay fully exploiting the aesthetics of whatever environment she happens to be working in, so that a modern hotel full of British tourists can look as interesting (if not quite as picturesque) as a Scottish hillside. Alwin H. Küchler, who worked with Ramsay on Ratcatcher, returns as cinematographer and makes use of lots of grainy film stock, handheld camerawork and blurry close-ups, giving a disorienting feel to the first part of the film which reflects Morvern's whirling emotions after her boyfriend's suicide. The soundtrack is entirely diagetic, adding to the air of realism that Küchler's camerawork brings to an inherently unreal, often dreamlike story.

Morvern Callar achieves the unlikely feat of making its central character inherently unknowable and yet interesting and charismatic enough that the audience may discover at the end of the film that they want to know what happens to her next. That's usually a sign of compelling storytelling, but in this case it's almost an entirely a result of Samantha Morton's performance in front of the camera and Lynne Ramsay's talent behind it.

Emotional journey is a showcase for Morton

[rosscinema · 7/10 · 15 February 2004]

This is a film about the inner emotions of a woman that is having a difficult time understanding the death of her boyfriend. This is definitely a film thats more of a character study than the telling of a story. This film is about a woman in Glasgow named Morvern Callar (Samantha Morton) who discovers the body of her novelist boyfriend who has cut his wrists and left a message on his computer. The message tells Morvern to forget about trying to understand his motives and there are instructions to submit his novel to a list of publishers. Morvern deletes his name and puts her own before submitting it to a publisher in London and she uses the money he has left to travel to Spain. She talks her best friend Lanna (Kathleen McDermott) to come with her and she agrees so they embark on a journey that includes some sight seeing.

*****SPOILER ALERT*****

While at a hotel in Spain Morvern gets word that the London publishers are interested in the novel and are coming to talk with her. Meanwhile, she and Lanna party it up and have casual sex with a few of the young men in the area and while this is going on Morvern is still having a difficult time emotionally.

This film is directed by Lynne Ramsay and its her second feature and along with Morton the two of them together have tapped into the psyche of a lonely and confused young woman. Morton herself has a history of being with step parents and this is probably what she can rely on as an actress when its time for scenes that involve deep emotions. This film really has no beginning, middle, or end but it's no less fascinating to watch. Morton plays Morvern as a woman who seems to be in a state of shock and her actions in the film are at times confusing. There are several scenes where music plays an important role in conveying Morvern's emotions and the film has many visually striking images as Morvern wanders through different states of distress. While the film has no real structure to the story it is driven by an amazing performance by Morton. She has emerged in the last few years as one of the more talented and interesting actresses and this is one of her rare starring roles. Morton has the ability to convey so much without uttering words but her performances seem to come from her beautiful and expressionistic eyes. This is a tad slow moving but it's a film that takes you on an emotional journey with a troubled and confused woman played to perfection by Morton.

Pure, Outstanding, Courageous Filmmaking

[arturobandini · 10/10 · 20 September 2003]

"Morvern Callar" isn't for everybody, but for those who get it, it's exceptional. Sound, visual composition, performance and mood are all in perfect synch -- from the quietly horrific opening titles to the knockout ending. Director Ramsay is one of the boldest, most self-assured directors now working. And it really irks me to read so many doophuses p**sing on her accomplishments. Especially when they succeed in scaring away potential viewers.

When someone writes that an art movie has no plot, no motivation, no interest, do they ever stop and wonder if the problem is not with the film itself, but with their own limited grasp of anything non-formulaic? I swear, "Morvern Callar" has more cinematic sweep and bravado than ten popcorny Spiel-burgers. People who say "Morvern Callar" is boring are probably the same demographic who eat at McDonald's ten or more times a month. (And shockingly, that's a very high percentage of us Americans.) Why should every "good" movie be a Happy Meal?

The key to appreciating movies like "Morvern" is to approach them like a sponge: soak up EVERYthing. But first, wring out the residue of stale dishwater. Don't be so quick to dismiss a movie where nuance is more relevant than plot ... where dialogue isn't a crutch for lazy writing ... where protagonists couldn't be played by Kate Hudson. It's much harder for a director to be original these days, because their studio bosses fear there are too many idiots out there who want their movies pre-digested -- and will pounce on anything different and brand it "pretentious."

If you hated "Morvern Callar," stop and think about it. If you just found it slow-moving and impenetrable, and couldn't appreciate the stunning photography, soundtrack, offbeat characters and ambiguous silences, then stick to reviewing episodes of "Friends." And at least give credit to Lynne Ramsay for having the guts to make movies unlike anyone else's.

An artistic film with good acting but thin in plot

[andrewroy-04316 · 6/10 · 28 July 2018]

I really enjoy Ramsay's style and think Morvern Callar is a careful, artistically crafted film, but the lack of dialogue and plot kept me from enjoying it more. I will say that it was a very poor decision to watch this while being quite tired, and that may have also influenced my enjoyment. I was impressed by Morton's performance and Ramsay did clearly show Morvern's struggle with avoiding grief and trying to run away from it, unable to face her life head on. That was a very interesting and well developed theme, but beyond that, there was little dialogue and her interactions with Lanna didn't reveal much aside from Morvern's introverted nature. The lack of consistent, propelling plot and limited exposition in regards to Morvern's mind or intentions (along with my tired, near-sleep state when watching) made Morvern Callar a cool, good watch but not memorable or exceptional in any element.

Frustrating pretence at depth

[Jim-Eadon · 3/10 · 23 April 2005]

I'm a fan of arty movies, but regretfully I have to report this movie to be pretentious drivel. Agonisingly slow to develop a non-existent plot based on a promising premise, the experience is, shall we say, trying. Even after bad movies I feel that I learn something, or enjoyed some aspect, but there there was nothing to appreciate. The premise was not uninteresting, but the movie starts and ends there. The acting was OK, though the characters were utterly boring. For the protagonist to aim at such an audacious goal, she is mightily empty. Pity. I usually enjoy movies that are unformulaic, but lack of formula should not be confused with zero content.

A mesmerising experience...

[Teebs2 · 8/10 · 21 June 2006]

Strangely hypnotic and powerful film, loosely centred around a very strange female empowerment narrative, as the suicide of her boyfriend leads Morvern, a quiet supermarket worker, to experience life for herself.

Another great performance from Sam Morton, and Kathleen McDermott as Lanna is a wonderfully natural companion to Morvern, the chemistry between them is superb. An outstanding soundtrack, and some amazing visual sequences capturing perfectly a dazed and confused night out at a rave party and the immature hedonism of a Spanish "club culture" party resort. One amazing shot encapsulates the sad humiliation of a semi-naked girl in the name of laddish laughs.

Narratively the film is very enigmatic and this will frustrate many people. Morvern remains completely detached from everything, including the viewer, as she calmly disposes the body of her dead boyfriend and takes the credit for his novel. Sam Norton gives Morvern a very innocent child-like quality, that seems completely at odds with some of her actions, giving the character real complexity. It is never clear why Morvern decides to submit her boyfriend's novel as her own work, or what she finds in her trip to Spain.

But narrative and psychological motivation seem somehow beside the point here, where expressionistic sound and image clash with cold reality. Slow, completely enigmatic but somehow wonderful! Proof that Lynne Ramsey is one of the most talented British filmmakers around.

different kind of indie story

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 31 January 2017]

Morvern Callar (Samantha Morton) finds her dead boyfriend James Gillespie's body after his suicide. Instead of dealing with the death, she goes drinking and partying. She's a supermarket clerk in a Scottish seaside town. She takes his manuscript and changes the author name to her own. After being paid by a publisher, she cuts up his body dumping it in the bogs, and decides to go vacationing with her friend Lanna.

This story should be horrifying. The movie does it like a light indie. It has long quiet scenes. This juxtaposition can be quite compelling for some but for me, it gets a bit infuriating. Samantha Morton is able to maintain the tension despite the movie's slow pace. Something that could help is an opening section with Morvern and James together. It's hard to say the death matters to the audience when the relationship is never shown. This is definitely a different kind of indie.

Disappointing

[FilthyMind · 3/10 · 16 November 2002]

It has its merit's; Morvern Callar is both the merits and the disappointments. She's so enigmatic, so original. Is it her method of dealing with the pain of a lost one that's making her so distant and un-relatable? Or is she as one reviewer called her a revolutionary? Personally I'd call her dysfunctional.

Morvern is completely detaching herself. Disposing of her boyfriend, not thinking of informing family or using the money he gave her for a proper funeral, she selfishly splashes out on a trip to Spain. She's seems so devoid of anything relatively human bar greed. The only element that enables the audience see the human side of her is her close friend she takes on holiday with her. Although by the end her friend is dumped and Morvern has nothing that ties her down to humanity. She may as well have killed herself.

Despite managing to make Spain look as gloomy and bland as the UK the director's shots were superb, the lighting and color made the film visually stunning.

It's really a shame the movie has nothing in it that keeps interest. It's little over 90 minutes but feels a lot longer. They manage to make Morvern seem interesting to grab your attention but do nothing with her only alienate her from you more to the point where you don't care about the characters or the film.