Lawless Heart (DVD)

...before, haven't we? But Lawless Heart is no run-of-the-mill film about loss and life-changing situations. In fact, its about as exceptional as a film can be. But what made this film so exceptional for me?

Firstly, the way in which it was put together. This film isn't told straight from beginning to end. Instead, we have three different angles of the story, from each of these three different ‘couples'. But rather than take the first ...
...then start afresh with the next one, this triptych of stories are conjoined up. We start with one angle and set of people and their story is taken to a certain turning point. Then we are given the next couple, and when they reach their turning point, we are then brought into the story of the third couple until the conclusion. Sounds simple, doesn't it. Three stories, one after another. But it isn't as simple as that. All put together, this trio of ... more

When a local Isle of Wight restauranteur - Stuart - drowns, his death ends up effecting three people more than they realize - his homosexual lover, his brother-in-law and his best friend. Each of these three examine their lives in the wake of this death. Each of them meet or have contact with a different woman that influences their process. Does that plot sound exceptionally different to you? Of course it doesn't. We've seen it all before, haven't we? But Lawless Heart is no run-of-the-mill film about loss and life-changing situations. In fact, its about as exceptional as a film can be. But what made this film so exceptional for me?

Firstly, the way in which it was put together. This film isn't told straight from beginning to end. Instead, we have three different angles of the story, from each of these three different ‘couples'. But rather than take the first set and tell its story from beginning to end, and then start afresh with the next one, this triptych of stories are conjoined up. We start with one angle and set of people and their story is taken to a certain turning point. Then we are given the next couple, and when they reach their turning point, we are then brought into the story of the third couple until the conclusion. Sounds simple, doesn't it. Three stories, one after another. But it isn't as simple as that. All put together, this trio of tales, placed end to end, tell one full story from its beginning to its finish. In other words, we're not watching the same action three times over from start to end - rather the whole story is broken up into three different phases of the plot, each phase taken from a unique perspective. Fascinating idea, isn't it?

What's more, the use of clever flashbacks help us meld the three stories into each other, so we can also see how each of the characters effect each other in their different situations. One of the interesting tricks used here to connect these together is a astute use of certain props that show up as an important part in one bit of the story, and again as a lesser item in another story. For instance, there's a scarf that one character buys in a shop for the sole purpose of getting closer to the salesgirl. That scarf ends up being a birthday gift in another section of the film, and then later gets blown out of a car and picked up by someone else altogether. Mind you, this type of mechanic could have been abused by being over-used, but since there were only about 3 or 4 of these ‘tie-ins', I felt that these bits were both perfectly subtle, while not being unnoticeable.

As for the characters, the main parts of Nick (Stuart's lover), Dan (Stuart's brother-in-law) & Tim (Stuart's drifter of a best friend) are played by Tom Hollander, Bill Nighy, and Douglas Henshall (respectively). I'm well aware of Nighy's present popularity these days, and I'm sure that most of you have seen at least one of two examples of his work. While I didn't feel he was playing someone terribly different than most of the parts he's been given lately, I did feel that there was a new, if small, facet of his ability that was revealed here. I've seen Hollander in a couple of productions - most notably in Cambridge Spies - and felt that he too was playing a part that was slightly too ‘type' for him, but not without a good amount of reserve and talent. But this was my first encounter with Henshall, and I really wonder where they've been keeping him - he's got no small amount of talent and was not at all shown up by the vastly more famous Nighy and Hollander.

The thing is, the acting of the whole cast here is marvelously understated and natural. You feel like these are real people, with real lives in real situations - the classic "slice of life" type of movie that has none of the fake Hollywood whistles and bells that we've come to (mistakenly, in my mind) forgive. Credit for this must go to the writing/directing team of Tom Hunsinger and Neil Hunter, who both - despite their mutual inexperience in these areas - show us that we need not see big names on the menu to be served up a gourmet meal. Perhaps their relative unknown status allowed them to be unfettered by fame and pushed them to give us something just a bit on the quirky side, without sacrificing on quality.

Don't get me wrong, this isn't a heavy film. There's lots of comic relief here and we get the realistic feeling that even in the face of tragedy, there is always something that can bring an smile to one's face. While Hunsinger and Hunter take us through a myriad of emotions, we never actually feel like we are overwhelmed by them, since in essence, this is a comedy about love, that just happens to have a dark side to it. They've also succeeded in putting together a cast that works amazingly well as a team - even when there are big names in the line up with the relatively unknown faces. This gives rise to an honestly natural small-town atmosphere.

Which takes me to the setting - a small town on the Isle of Wight. There is a rustic and weather-beaten feel to this island, which is also very beautiful - and the directors have taken full advantage of this setting to point up the basic premise to the story being told. I'd almost say that the setting is a metaphor for the film itself - beauty isn't without its rougher edges, and we all need to find our way in the rain and wind until the clouds can clear so we can witness the natural splendor of it all.

Basically, what I'm saying is that this film is a real piece of artistry, even though it was done on a very low budget (apparently the whole film only cost £26,000 to make!). Yet there's nothing here to make you feel that anything was done on the cheap at all. So even though the tag line for this film is "We live in a rational world, then we find a way to screw it up", I believe that this film is an example of the opposite - there's nothing rational about the low cost and speed in which this film was produced, in light of the fact that they didn't screw even the smallest thing about it up at all. In essence, this is a film that has been lawlessly overlooked - don't add to the crime. Take it out and watch it - I'm certain your heart will warm to it, as mine did. Highly Recommended!!!

Thanks for reading!

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Technical Stuff:
This is a review of the film only, as per the criteria below.

This is available on DVD for only £4.97 and Video £15.99 (!! Only one left in stock as of this writing!!) via Amazon.co.uk, and has a classification of 15 in the UK or R in the US (due to some nudity, sex and language). The original soundtrack is also available new and used from £7.58.

The official web page can be found at http://www.flp.com/films/lawlessheart/
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