Review

Review Date: 4-September-05
Spoiler Rating: Medium
Juju Judgment: Juicy

The Constant Gardener (2005)

con-stant, adj. 2. continuing without pause; unceasing.

Given the significance of the title, it's surprising how seldom we see the protagonist working with plants in Fernando Meirelles' adaptation of John le Carré's "The Constant Gardener." For it's important to recognize that Justin Quayle (Ralph Fiennes) is a man detached from the human sphere, as the (apparently nonstop) pursuit of his hobby reflects. Sure, he's a British diplomat who spends a lot of time overseas, but when he heads to Kenya as part of an AIDS relief effort he's not there to save the world, or even interact with it. He's there to continue a tradition of foreign involvement that allows him to maintain a quiet, out-of-the-way respectability.

One of the satisfactions of "The Constant Gardener" is watching Fiennes carry Justin away from his hothouse isolation, although it isn't always easy to do. After his wife is murdered, he picks up the trail of her investigation into a pharmaceutical company that uses AIDS victims as guinea pigs under the aegis of the British government. As his crisp suits give way to soiled T-shirts and domestic worries become life-or-death fears, his eyes are opened to the horror that exists all around him in which he is complicitous as both an insulated human being and a dispassionate public servant. (The horror: Meirelles paints Kenya as a teeming ghetto with splashes of beauty and a European golf course next door.) Justin's search for the truth takes him from the London den of a chilling politico (Bill Nighy) to the African outpost of a tortured doctor (Pete Postlethwaite), a rough journey which brings up issues that may be as uncomfortable to the audience as to poor Justin himself.

con-stant, adj. 4. faithful; unswerving in love or devotion.

But even as the hero becomes aware of the big picture, he never loses the interior focus that defines him. Another pleasure of "The Constant Gardener" is how it combines international intrigue with a love story that propels all aspects of the plot. The movie offers just enough insight into Justin's brief and star-crossed marriage: how he met the beautiful, outspoken activist named Tessa (Rachel Weisz) on the eve of his departure for Africa; how she viewed him as a knight whose shining armor she wished to preserve intact; and how this caused her to keep secrets from him which grew into suspicions of infidelity. Tessa is a complex character whom it's tempting to dislike, particularly when she manipulates a slimy friend of her husband's (Danny Huston) in her crusade for justice. Yet the attraction of opposites — fueled by her fire and sustained by his devotion — gives the viewer an entry point that's more immediately sympathetic than the crisis in Africa or global corruption. For better or worse, their whirlwind affair gives Justin his clearest insight into life, and this, in turn, dictates everything he does.

With its harsh portrayal of large-scale commercialism and love sacrificed to reality, "The Constant Gardener" is a deeply sorrowful film. In addition, it subtly suggests that we are all constant gardeners, complacently puttering around our flower beds while ignoring the tragedies that don't get as much press as hurricane Katrina. But this is a message we ought perhaps to receive, and it's easy to appreciate when presented with the tautness of a thriller and the grandeur of a tragic romance.

Note: definitions from Random House Webster's College Dictionary.

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