Love and scandal are the best sweeteners of tea. —Henry Fielding

01 September 2005

The Constant Gardener

I don't know what possessed me, but instead of going to sleep at a normal hour, I went with Brittney to go have Mexican food at El Cholo (I hadn't been there in forever, and it's so fucking good!) and then we sped our way to the Paseo Colorado to see Fernando Meirelles' The Constant Gardener based on the novel by John Le Carré.

I like the film the more I think about it. I haven't seen a film this audacious in a long, long time. Technically, the film is stellar. The editing and the photography seem to break new ground and the directing is really wonderful. My emotional response to the film doesn't really match this technical assessment, but the more I ponder it, the better the film gets. Politically, I think there is nothing out there like this movie. It's what Hotel Rwanda had the opportunity to be and failed: an accurate, unsentimental portrayal of poverty and violence in Africa and how much the West is to blame. The Constant Gardener is incredible, really. I was blown away. Now, if we could just do something about that title...

And now, on five hours of sleep, I am off to work at the airport, and from there I will be seeing Dead End at the Ahmanson Theatre thanks to my friend Danny. I cannot wait!

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