Dirty Filthy Love (DVD)

Mark is struggling with life. Stevie, his wife has left him, he isn't working because of depression, and his behaviour is becoming odd - his head jerks involuntarily, he swears when he doesn't mean to and he has strange compulsions when climbing stairs and getting washed. One thing is keeping him going - getting his wife back. He tries to pull himself together, going back to his boss to let him know that he is ready to start work again - but his ...
...because his behaviour is affecting business. Then he bumps into Charlie in the doctor's and she suggests he comes along to a self-help group for people with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Things begin to look up...but will they continue this way? And will he manage to win Stevie over?

Mark is played by Michael Sheen, who played Tony Blair in The Queen and, more recently, David Frost in Frost/Nixon. This is a very different role. ... more

Mark is struggling with life. Stevie, his wife has left him, he isn't working because of depression, and his behaviour is becoming odd - his head jerks involuntarily, he swears when he doesn't mean to and he has strange compulsions when climbing stairs and getting washed. One thing is keeping him going - getting his wife back. He tries to pull himself together, going back to his boss to let him know that he is ready to start work again - but his boss tells him they will have to let him go because his behaviour is affecting business. Then he bumps into Charlie in the doctor's and she suggests he comes along to a self-help group for people with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Things begin to look up...but will they continue this way? And will he manage to win Stevie over?

Mark is played by Michael Sheen, who played Tony Blair in The Queen and, more recently, David Frost in Frost/Nixon. This is a very different role. Mark finds life a great struggle and has very little confidence in himself. As he becomes more and more depressed, his OCD and Tourette's Syndrome become more and more pronounced. Michael Sheen manages to portray all this very convincingly. Initially, he brings a touch of humour to the situation, but as his conditions worsen, he treats it with the decorum that it deserves. I was really impressed by Sheen's performance - this really isn't an easy role to get right, but he manages it beautifully - most importantly, he portrays his conditions in such a way that it is easy for the audience to both understand and sympathise - no easy feat in a world that is scared of any form of mental illness.

Another excellent performance comes from Shirley Henderson who plays Charlie (short for Charlotte). Charlie suffers from OCD as well, which manifests itself in rapid speech that it is sometimes difficult to follow (as well as something else that is not immediately obvious), and runs a self-help group to help others in the same position. I recognised Shirley Henderson from Hamish Macbeth (she plays Isabel), but more recently, she was Moaning Myrtle in the Harry Potter films. Again, Henderson deals with the problems that people with OCD face very convincingly and sympathetically. Right from the start, it is clear that Charlie has feelings for Mark, and she immediately won me over, wanting Mark to see that she would be so much better for him than his wife. Henderson shows that she has great versatility as an actress - I can't wait to see what she is going to do next.

I've known people who suffer from OCD. It really can ruin your life. One woman I knew spent two to three hours every night cleaning and continually checking that windows and doors were locked. She would then have to go through the whole process again the next morning. She was unable to work because of her issues with cleanliness. Tourette's Syndrome is perhaps better known to people after one of the winners of Big Brother suffered from it. People often connect it with involuntary swearing, but in actual fact, few sufferers have this problem - they are more likely to have tics, which can be incredibly violent, depending on the severity of the condition.

Having suffered from severe clinical depression for much of my life, I always sympathise with anyone who has problems with mental health, particularly because it is still so misunderstood by society. Although I have never suffered from OCD or Tourette's, I can understand the pain and suffering it must cause sufferers, particularly because the symptoms are so much more public than depression. I think director Adrian Shergold has done an excellent job of trying to portray the trials and tribulations of sufferers in this 2004 film. It isn't perfect - it was perhaps not a good idea to publicise the swearing part of Tourette's, which is what people tend to remember, when it is actually a fairly rare symptom. However, I think it shows that people from all walks of life can suffer; more importantly, it portrays them as human beings who do not need people's ridicule on top of their problems.

I was initially concerned about the humour in the film. Mark tends to swear in stressful situations, which was obviously done for laughs - something I'm sure that real sufferers wouldn't find in the slightest bit funny. Charlie's strange manner of talking also seems to be done for laughs. I'm not suggesting that it is wrong to look for humour in the situation - I was just concerned to begin with that the humour would take over from the seriousness of OCD and Tourette's. I needn't have worried though, because as Mark's condition worsens, the film becomes more and more serious. This doesn't make it depressing to watch though - to be honest, I was so deeply involved with the characters that I didn't have the chance to be depressed.

Having said that, there are people who won't want to watch the film. It is hard to watch someone go from looking 'normal' to looking like a homeless person, as Mark does during the course of the film, and I know that some people would just rather not have to deal with the topic at all. That, of course, is your perogative. Personally though, I think people can learn a lot from this film - I know I did. It probably isn't a film for the very young though - I doubt that they would understand in any case. There is a rating of 15 (UK) on the film, probably because of the subject matter, a lot of swearing and a sex scene, although the latter is not particularly graphic.

Technically, there is nothing out of the ordinary about this film. It is well-made, but there are no artistic camera angles. I think this is absolutely right - anything like that would have taken away from the message of the film, which is the most important thing. I was disappointed to find that there are no extras with the disc - I would have thought that a documentary on OCD and Tourette's would have been a great way to make sure that the film's message went home. There are subtitles in English though - no doubt for the American audience(!) - although the English spoken is generally very clear.

I thought this film was fantastic. It was completely compelling and had just the right mixture of humour and seriousness, without either turning into a farce or becoming too depressing. I'm sure some people won't be convinced though - it is one of those films, like Schindler's List, that everyone should see at some point, but sounds like too much hard work. Actually, I think you will be surprised - I enjoyed it much more than I expected. Give it a go. It is British after all. Highly recommended.

The DVD is available from play.com for £3.99.

Classification: 15 (R in the US)

Running time: 120 minutes 

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