The Constant Gardener
for language, some violent images and sexual content/nudity.
Reviewed by: Jonathan Wooten
CONTRIBUTOR
| Moral Rating: | Offensive |
| Moviemaking Quality: |
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| Primary Audience: | Adults |
| Genre: | Thriller |
| Length: | |
| Year of Release: | 2005 |
| USA Release: |
August 31, 2005 (wide) |
How did bad things come about? Answer
Where did diseases like cancer come from? Answer
What was Adam, the first man, really like? Learn the amazing facts about this unique man from whom we all descended! And see why the First Adam needed the Last Adam. Answer
What about the issue of suffering? Doesn’t this prove that there is no God and that we are on our own? Answer
Does God feel our pain? Answer
| Featuring | Ralph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz, Danny Huston, Archie Panjabi, Bill Nighy |
| Director |
Fernando Meirelles |
| Producer | Mike Newell, Simon Channing-Williams |
| Distributor |
 Focus Features, a subsidiary of Universal Pictures, a division of NBCUniversal/Comcast |
Love at any cost.
Here’s what the distributor says about their film: “Based on the best-selling John le Carre novel, in a remote area of Northern Kenya, activist Tessa Quayle (Weisz) is found brutally murdered. Tessa’s companion, a doctor (Kounde), appears to have fled the scene, and the evidence points to a crime of passion. Members of the British High Commission in Nairobi assume that Tessa’s widower, their mild-mannered and unambitious colleague Justin Quayle (Fiennes), will leave the matter to them.
They could not be more wrong. haunted by remorse and jarred by rumors of his late wife’s infidelities, Quayle surprises everyone by embarking on a personal odyssey that will take him across three continents. Using his privileged access to diplomatic secrets, he will risk his own life, stopping at nothing to uncover and expose the truth—a conspiracy more far-reaching and deadly than Quayle could ever have imagined.”
“The Constant Gardener” wants us to think. Think about the world outside our backyard. AIDS ravaged Africa to be specific. Given the third world location and the film’s director Fernando Meirelles (City of God) one might expect a story set in gritty trenches. This is not the realm of Justin Quayle (Ralph Fiennes) though, a British diplomat living in Kenya. He is a stiff servant of the Empire who prefers to keep his hands clean (except when tending his garden, get it?). His wife Tessa (Rachel Weisz) could not be more different. She is a political radical and a thorn in the side of the government that employs her husband. Within the first five minutes of the film she makes one too many enemies and is found murdered.
The story then unfolds in a series of flashbacks blended seamlessly with Justin’s grieving and eventual search for the killers. We learn of conspiracy theories Tessa had involving drug manufacturers and assorted governments. We also catch glimpses of the couples strained “marriage of convenience” (Fiennes and Weisz happen to display little on screen chemistry and therefore are well cast). The film also starts out quite cold with de-saturated colors and clinical dialogue but eventually does become vibrant as the once dull Justin is transformed into a swashbuckling crusader for the truth.
“The Constant Gardener” does a very good job of showing how we live in a fallen world where corruption and greed are possible even in humanitarian organizations. In the film politicians turn a blind eye to a drug company’s crimes in exchange for the construction of a plant in their local district. While it is a work of fiction the filmmakers do manage to point fingers at American and British foreign policies. It does get a bit preachy at times but I do give them credit for trying to remind us that we are responsible for our government’s actions and non-actions.
Why is the world the way it is? (filled with oppression, suffering, death and cruelty?) If God is all-knowing, all-powerful and loving, would he really create a world like this? Answer
It is tempting though to question the true intentions of the author (novelist John Le Carré) and filmmakers. Did they think that the African AIDS crisis would get more exposure if its images were delivered in a slick political thriller? Or did they simply want to class up a run of the mill story of international intrigue by shoehorning in a socially conscious topic? Perhaps it was a little bit of both. Real images of the devastation brought on by poverty and AIDS are included, but unfortunately we don’t get to know the victims in much depth. The African people are used mostly as exotic set dressings or to trigger an emotional response from the audience.
Why does God allow innocent people to suffer? Answer
In spite of its faults though the film has a heart and is well crafted so I recommend it. The subject matter is timely and deserves a spotlight (sub-Saharan Africa has just over 10% of the world’s population, but is home to more than 60% of all people living with HIV). More importantly it deserves action.
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments (Matthew 22:36-40).
Possible objectionable content: Moderate profanity, brief female nudity, some violence, graphic hospital images
See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.
It was sad to see their marriage slowly fall apart, and then to see both of them die, but I wasn’t surprised. It’s very sad that they died not really knowing each other even though they were married, but I went away thinking that my marriage is important enough to push on with improved communication, to always be honest and to always have integrity, If you like being intellectually stimulated, then it’s worth seeing. Even my husband liked it! And he’s more of an action movie guy.
Offensive / 4
Average / 4½
Excellent! / 5
Average / 4½
The main story of the movie is how idealistic people risk their lives trying to expose and bring to justice unconscionable practices by pharmaceutical companies. I wonder if any of this thematic material was based on fact. I would not be surprised if it was. There is also quite a bit of sexual immorality interspersed throughout, and I supposed I should not be surprised by that. This is not a feel good movie. Very sad subject matter and very sad story. I am glad, however, to have seen scenes of Africa, which I believe to be factual, and the acting was especially good.
Very Offensive/5
Overall, this is an above average and well made film. Because it has a dark and gloomy feel to it and a somewhat tragic ending, it’s certainly not a good choice for “date night” with the spouse. There are adult themes (minor nudity) and some violence, neither of which is gratuitous nor disproportionate to the context. I would definitely not recommend this for children or young teens.
Some things that make The Constant Gardener worth seeing are:
- Location—One of the main strengths of this film is that it was almost entirely filmed on location in Africa (Kenya). The extras throughout the film were the actual residents of the villages, giving the film an authentic quality which realistically depicts life among the poor in this area of the world.
- Acting—Main characters were believable and well cast. Rachel Wieze (Tessa) received a Golden Globe nomination. Again, the extras and supporting characters gave the film an exceptionally realistic feel.
- Unfolding Story—Suspense and mystery were heightened with a unique mixture of flashbacks to the past and events in the present, offering a progression of new information and clues, that effectively draws you into the story. The way in which the main character unexpectedly finds himself entangled in conspiracy and cover-up, is reminiscent of Tom Cruise in “The Firm,” except with the grittier feel of an African backdrop.
- Evil Big Business—Big business/corporations are portrayed as inherently evil, this time in the form of a Multi-National Pharmaceutical Company, bent solely on maximizing profits at the expense of human life.
- Imperialistic Oil Motivated U.S.A.—In a scene which depicts Justin meeting Tessa while giving a lecture at a University, she delivers an idealized outburst critical of British foreign policy, accusing the British Government of being puppets to the U.S. in its oil-grab motivated imperialistic invasion of Iraq (far-left liberal rhetoric).
- Negative Portrayal of Christians—The only person of faith in the movie, a Christian aid worker, is portrayed as a cynically dark and un-authentic character, veiled with suspicious and self-serving religious motives to his work (as opposed to genuinely caring for the well being of people he’s serving).
The Constant Gardner is a thriller, romance and terribly slanted and wrong documentary about the pharmaceutical companies purposefully murdering African men, women and children by test marketing a new drug to the poverty stricken refugees. A product they plan on selling across the world. The movie blames the delemna of suffering on the lack of necessary drugs in Africa on the lack of funding because America and Britain are in the pockets of the pharmaceutical companies. They ignore the fact that the African government and the UN are tied in closely and completely ignore the fact that because both are corrupt and pocket the money that is given for aid, the true and provable reason the African people are not being helped.
The movie heats up when Rachel Weiz is murdered because of her drive to uncover the deadly plot that is being taken care of and Ralph Fiennes’s desire to find out who killed his wife as well as fulfill her mission of uncovering such a terrible plot. Ralph Fiennes’s start to uncover secrets, lies and betrayal which put his life in peril as well as those he cares about…
With politics aside I would say that this movie was well made, well acted, well directed and the African scenery was nothing less than gripping. As a reviewer I would give this movie 3 of 4 stars, however as a Christian and a Moderate Conservative, I would have to give this movie 1 of 4. The moral compass of the movie is “due left” and as liberal a movie as I have ever seen. This movie is Pro Gay, Pro Liberal, Anti Bush, Anti Blair, Anti Oil Companies, Anti Christian and Anti Pharmaceutical Companies. (Pay Special Attention to This: I am not saying that this is purposeful however one of the bad guys in the movie, the one with the most screen presence, actually resembles Jeb Bush. When I first saw him, I was thinking, wow he looks like Jeb and sure enough he was the bad guy, we quickly find out.) I know that you will say that this is my right wing mind thinking but just look at the picture and tell me that it does not look like Jeb. If this is on accident, well then call me crazy.
I am the kind of person who prides myself on seeing both sides of an issue and really strives to understand where other people are coming from. Even if I totally disagree with their point of view. However, blatant dishonestly clothed in truth is very hard for me to understand. I know that many who have seen this movie will say “oh its just a movie,” I say BS in huge words (BS = Bologna Slinging). This movie is clearly made with an agenda that screams hatred toward conservatives and hatred toward the US Government and British Government. There is not escaping that The Constant Gardner is growing nothing but weeds in the garden of total fertilizer.
…for Parents: There pregnant nudity, sexual foreplay, moderate language and realistic violence—some of which is real footage. I would not recommend this movie really to anyone because of subject matter and material. Many I know have wanted to see this movie, that is one of the reason I went and I would tell anyone desiring to see it to pay attention to other reviews hailing this movie as a cinematic triumph. Sadly, I did not read any reviews and had no clue what it was about before I saw it.
Very Offensive/3
Comments from young people
Politics aside, this movie is gripping in all aspects. Ralph Fiennes is on the highest marks as Justin Quayle—he really makes you care about what his character is searching for. Rachel Weisz, though not given the biggest part, is great. The supporting cast, such as Bill Nighy, is also quite amazing. Not to mention how great the cinematography is. Some may get sick of the “shaky camera” filming, but it’s really not all that bad. The scenes in Africa are amazing—the people, the life, and the natural beauty. The film is a full throttle thriller, but is also based in a very human story of how we need to realize some of the injustices that happen every day and do what we can to change it.
This film is not appropriate for everyone though, due to some strong language, a scene of suggestive sexuality, and nudity. I suggest this film to anyone who can look passed it’s very minor content flaws and see it for the intelligent, gripping thriller that it is.
Average/5
Morally, notwithstanding the sexuality, there is an irresponsible and deceptive view underlying her motives as a voice-over states as in the words of the communist leader Leon Trotsky, “the end justifies the means.” This is subtle, yet pervasive throughout the film. Even the attempts to defend the humanity of the weak is at the high price of valuable human lives, relationships and integrity. It also displays British and American Alliance as completely corrupt and villainous in its affairs with foreign countries. Unfortunately, it also “pokes fun,” at the church with a doctor who is said to be a Follower of Jesus, who is in no wise of any such character and is no different from the others.
Though I’m a big fan of suspense and intrigue, this movie falls short. The best part of the film is the acting itself and the beautiful photography of Kenya.
My Ratings: Average/3