The Constant Gardener
Review by Peter T. Chattaway | posted 8/31/2005
 1 of 4
Based on a novel by John Le Carré, The Constant Gardener is more of a political message delivery system than a movie. It is also extremely well made. And unlike, say, The Interpreter—the recent Nicole Kidman-Sean Penn flick which paired Hollywood glamour with trite social parables, and ended up sending out muddled messages—this new film knows how to put its craftsmanship to the service of its message, which is fierce and focused throughout. Many political thrillers use the travails of the so-called Third World as an excuse to show glamorous people doing exciting things, but The Constant Gardener comes at it the other way 'round. Here, the mysteries and conspiracies take us deeper into an African situation which, the film assures us, reflects the reality on the ground.
Ralph Fiennes plays a British diplomat in Nairobi, while Rachel Weisz plays his political activist wife
Given the film's broader agenda—its producers have already set up a charity to benefit the people of Kenya—it may seem churlish to complain about things like, oh, the script. But this is a fictitious story, not a documentary, and the script is the one place where the movie's craftsmanship suffers. Near the beginning, Justin Quayle (Ralph Fiennes), a diplomat with the British High Commission in Nairobi, is watering his plants when he is told that his wife Tessa (Rachel Weisz), a passionate political activist, has died in what the authorities are saying might have been a bandit raid, but might also have been a crime of passion committed by a possible lover. The story then moves forward and backward in time, as Justin investigates the circumstances of Tessa's death and relives the key moments in their relationship—and while it's a pleasure to watch these actors work together, it's a little difficult to see what their characters are doing together in the first place.
The feisty Tessa (Weisz) always makes her viewpoints loud and clear
It turns out the first time they met was when Tessa stood up after one of Justin's speeches and ranted at him about Britain's involvement in the Iraq war; and it's an open question whether the filmmakers intended to make her sound like a patchwork of Michael Moore-ish slogans from a couple years ago, or whether they honestly wanted to use this opportunity to squeeze another set of messages into their movie. At any rate, Justin, being a decent sort, offers to take Tessa out for coffee, just to show there's no hard feelings—and before long, they've had sex. Then, a short while later, and even though they don't know each other all that well, she suggests getting married so that he can take her with him to Kenya.
People do impulsive things all the time, but still, you have to wonder, why would a man who represents his government for a living marry a woman about whom he knows little beyond the fact that her "work" requires her to actively oppose his government? The film never really tells us, and it is difficult to sympathize when Tessa starts raising a stink at embassy parties and Justin asks her to tone it down a little. On the other hand, as Tessa begins to investigate the local activities of pharmaceutical companies (who she believes are using Africans as unwitting guinea pigs for their newly-developed drugs), and as rumors begin to circulate about her frequent association with a local doctor named Arnold Bluhm (Hubert Koundé), it is easy to see why Justin might begin to feel that she has been using him.
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