Another Year

It follows a year in the life of a sixtysomething couple , Tom (Jim Broadbent) and Gerri (Ruth Sheen). He is a commercial geologist and she is a counsellor : a member of "the caring professions". They live together in a home on a quiet street somewhere in suburbia that reflects their settled, earthy personalities. They are social creatures and it's their interaction with friends and family that Leigh focuses on , mostly in their home ,over lunch,dinner or a drink at their table. Tom and Gerri are happy couple. The same can't be said for almost anyone around them. Tom's pal Ken ((Peter Wight) is an overweight,chain-smoking alcoholic. Gerri's secretary Mary (Lesley Manville) drinks far too much wine ,she babbles on nervously about insignificant things ,  and she is obviously painfully lonely. She wants to connect with someone, but she also wants that person to be something special. Out of a script developed over months with his cast, Leigh creates a universe we can all find a place in. All the actors are sublime . But Manville shines brightest. 

 Strength of the lead couple's bond ,the warm ease of it, is absolutely necessary as a counter balance to Mary.  Another Year" is just that — time passing through lives, relationships shifting, some spirits flailing while others rest happily within one another.