Another Year
A 2010 film directed by Mike Leigh. It looks at a year in the life of Tom and Gerri, a Happily Married elderly couple working and living in London; they garden, they work, they feed their friends and they're in love. Throughout the film we're introduced to the people around them. Single-and-looking Mary, who works at Gerri's office; their activist lawyer son Joe, who has yet to settle down, their old friend Ken, Tom's brother and widower Ronnie.
It's a very slow-paced, conflict-free Slice of Life film, that makes use of incredible acting, natural dialogue, wonderful writing and subtly dark humour to carry the itself.
Tropes used in Another Year include:
- And Starring: Imelda Staunton get this, although she only appears for about five minutes in the beginning.
- Black Sheep: Ronnie's estranged son.
- Bottle Fairy: Mary
- Christmas Cake: Mary.
- Cool Old Guy / Cool Old Lady: Why, the main couple.
- Expospeak Gag: Tom, Gerri, Joe and Katie talking about Tom's work.
- Foil: Mary's single, and her desperate attempts at joy is a harsh contrast to Tom and Gerri's easy happy life.
- Genki Girl: Katie, to the nth degree.
- Happily Married: Tom and Gerri, very much so.
- The Quiet One: Ronnie
- Slice of Life