The Constant Gardener (2005)

Director:

Fernando Meirelles

Writers:

John le Carré (novel)
Jeffrey Caine (screenplay)

Release Date:

31 August 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

Love. At any cost.

Plot:

A widower is determined to get to the bottom of a potentially explosive secret involving his wife's murder, big business, and corporate corruption.

Plot Keywords:

Gay Doctor | Morgue | Corporate Corruption | Hiv Test | Swahili

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 20 wins & 42 nominations

Cast

Ralph Fiennes	...	Justin Quayle
Rachel Weisz	...	Tessa Quayle
Hubert Koundé	...	Dr. Arnold Bluhm
Danny Huston	...	Sandy Woodrow
Daniele Harford	...	Miriam
Packson Ngugi	...	Officer in Morgue
Damaris Itenyo Agweyu	...	Jomo's Wife
Bernard Otieno Oduor	...	Jomo
Gerard McSorley	...	Sir Kenneth 'Kenny' Curtiss
Bill Nighy	...	Sir Bernard Pellegrin
Keith Pearson	...	Porter Coleridge
John Sibi-Okumu	...	Dr. Joshua Ngaba
Donald Sumpter	...	Tim Donohue
Archie Panjabi	...	Ghita Pearson
Nick Reding	...	Crick

Also Known As:

Ewige Gärtner, Der (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated R for language, some violent images and sexual content/nudity.

Runtime:

129 min

Country:

Germany | UK

Language:

Italian | English | Swahili | German

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Portugal:M/16 | Argentina:13 | South Korea:15 | Hungary:16 | Malaysia:U | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | Taiwan:R-12 | Netherlands:12 | Canada:G (Quebec) | Norway:11 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Iceland:16 | Germany:12 | USA:R (certificate #41450) | Australia:M | France:U | Finland:K-11 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Ireland:15A | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Singapore:NC-16 | Brazil:14 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Berlin Hauptbahnhof, Berlin, Germany

Company:

Potboiler Productions

Trivia:

After filming, the Constant Gardener Trust was set-up to help the inhabitants of the slums near Nairobi where the crew had been filming.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Justin goes to the morgue to identify Tessa's body, there is a body of a boy behind him. After Justin identifies Tessa's body, the "dead" boy's right toe moves.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Justin Quayle: Oh, thank you Arnold. I... I can manage that. But I still don't see why you couldn't wait a couple of weeks. Why go all the way up to Loki?
Tessa Quayle: Well, we want to hear Grace Makanga speak, and she won't be coming to Nairobi.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Be Kind Rewind (2008)

Soundtrack:

Kothbiro

Haunting, Heartfelt and Horrifying

Slow tension building thriller that is charge even more with the great performances of Rachel Weisz and Ralph Fiennes, who both bring an essence of realism to their roles and a sense of chemistry that is really not found in movies like this anymore. Rachel Weisz brings a ferry fury that is ripe in it's convictions and Ralph Fiennes brings a cool, collective zeal that is a slow building timer ready to emotionally exploded at any minute. Both performances compliment the fine directing of Fernando Meirelles, who gives this tale a sense of brilliance in its storytelling and a sense of the way the world really works. It's a heartfelt story of lost and redemption and it's hauntingly poetic in it's horrifying look at the horrors of a world that is willing to cast a blind eye at the problems of big business and corrupt governments that are willing to do anything in order to make a fast buck. Even going as far than to destroy human life to achieve their goals.

This is a brilliant film and I can't wait to see it again.