Ordinary Love
An extraordinary look at the lives of a middle-aged couple in the midst of the wife's breast cancer diagnosis.
Director:
Lisa Barros D'Sa, Glenn Leyburn
Cast:
Liam Neeson, Lesley Manville, Amit Shah
Screenplay:
Owen McCafferty
Screening Date:
Feb 08, 2020
Studio:
Bleecker Street Media, Universal Pictures, levelFILM, Front Row Filmed Entertainment
Running Time:
1h 32min
| Excellent | Very Good | Good | Fair | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24.1% | 24.1% | 37.9% | 6.8% | 6.8% |
‘’Excellent film, and I appreciate very that it was made at all: a
close look at a couple going through a terrifying medical
experience, apart and together. Wonderful performances.”
“Film was well made but depressing, needed more back story
to keep it interesting.”
“Could have been a movie of the week for television. Not
necessary for big screen. P.S. I’ve buried too many from cancer.
Did not need a do-over.”
“Overall I appreciated this film and found it extremely moving
and in some ways, scary. It brings home a person’s and a
marriage’s experience. With cancer up close and personal in a
more potent way than I have ever seen in a film. And Liam and
Lesley were superb. Downside: Their accents made it tough to
understand many lines of dialogue. And the overall tone of the
film was stark but beautifully done.” Thx. Jeanne K
“Lesley Manville was to die for.”
“Great to see Liam not beat up anyone, glad he doing age-
appropriate projects.”
“My wife died from Breast Cancer. This movie brought back
sad memories.”
“Very well done. Very real situation depicted in a
straightforward way. Hard to think about cancer but tragedy
changes people and brings out facets of personalities. Following
everyday routines gives them strength to go on.”
“To quote Dory: ‘Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.’”
“It was touching and thoughtful but I didn’t think it as novel or
having a thoroughly original point.”
“Many of us have dealt with the ‘Big C’ in one way or another in
the past, most of us will have to deal with it in some way in the
future. This is an honest and brave portrait of everyday life
turned upside down, and I was honored to take the journey
with two magnificent actors.”
“A brilliant portrayal of the wake-up call that cancer brings to a
relationship. It may be ordinary love – although this never is –
but it’s love and we should be thrilled to have it.”
“A bit melancholy for me. Lovely acting. Lesley is quite a
wonderful actress.”
“Would have liked subtitles. Torture. Music was annoying.”
“A good view of what it is like to go through cancer treatment.
Acting was brave and well done, but also slow moving and a bit
tedious.”
“A timely topic. Very realistic regarding what a couple goes
through under these circumstances. Kind of slow moving but
couldn’t have been paced a bit quicker. Lovely piano music.
Nice to see a realistic relationship that includes positive, loving
and argumentative moments instead of a neurotic couple
falling apart.”
“Lesley Manville is an international treasure as she is attacked
by cancer, the real Maleficent of our lives. And Liam plays just
the right amount of saint and sinner. These people are real and
scared and having each other as caregivers makes this film a
hopeful journey.”
If you'd like to know more about the film...
Writing for theatre and writing for film are very different practices. Regardless, Owen McCafferty effortlessly used his experience as a playwright to compose this film’s screenplay. If Ordinary Love’s screenplay fascinated you, here is a link to Owen McCafferty’s works as a playwright:
http://owenmccafferty.com/pastproductions
If a film features an older couple (whose love is clearly long lasting), where does the drama come from? This journal article explores the concept of making captivating movies with older couples:
https://academic.oup.com/gerontologist/article/56/6/1175/2952906
The cast and crew could not be with us to participate in our discussion, however, this video of them during a Q&A can serve as a substitute!:
