Only very rarely does a film truly make you appreciate the people that make life worth living.
That's right, reader, today I paid the exorbitant prices at the Curzon cinema in Soho to see the new Ben Whishaw film and, you know what? I feel like a better person for doing so. By that logic, it must have been a good film because that is certainly not how I usually feel after spending money.
Is a mother's love stronger than a lover's love?
Ben Whishaw and Pei-pei Cheng play conflicted parties with one thing in common: they are both grieving for the same young man whom they both believe they loved more than the other. Primarily about the power of love, Lilting achieves something higher by showing the darker side of love that so many other films fail to do well; that is, love as conflict. It is the love that both characters feel - Whishaw's character for his lover and Cheng's for her son - that actually drives the characters apart. It is not until they can truly understand each other's feelings that they can finally accept each other for them.
I cannot remember the last time that I sat in a cinema with an audience of maybe 20 others and felt the atmosphere wholly and completely reflect the mood of the film. The engagement evident in the participation of the audience was at an unprecedented level that couldn't even be bought for £13.75 (£13.75!!). It was a completely organic reaction and one that made the experience somewhat more realistic.
As ever, Mr Whishaw stole the show. His moving performance manages to avoid that saccharine, overly-sentimental shallowness that might be expected from a film with a bigger budget and, instead, he delivers a stunning, emotionally-captivating performance that hits the audience on a fundamentally human level.
Because above all, Lilting has a power. That is the power to insist upon its audience that we must all appreciate what we have. Nothing is perfect but love makes it so. For such an uplifting film, there is surprisingly little hope left at the end. Of course, it would be unrealistic to have the dead young man rise again and make everyone's problems go away, but I think that is the message. Life goes on and people are lost every day. Memories fade but the beauty is in knowing that we can appreciate things for what they are and for what they have meant to us. Okay, that was a soppier ending than I was expecting too, but if you have a spare £13.75 (£13.75!!), then this film comes highly recommended. Certainly above Saw 57 or Halloween 12. Experience something that matters for a change. Experience Lilting.
Have pleasant dreams!
Mike.xx
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