The Constant Gardener - by Fernando Meirelles
Rating: ****/*****
Based on the novel by John le Carré, and starring Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz, ‘The Constant Gardener’ is an electrifying story of love, lies and international conspiracy, all set in the colourful and earthy Africa. An American senator, Justin Quayle meets the passionate Tessa at a speech where she disses the UN. They meet, they marry and he takes her along to Africa with him. Tessa is a devoted campaigner of human rights, together with her African friend, a Dr Bluhm (Hubert Kounde), they uncover a conspiracy by one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies, which is using the HIV-infected populace in Africa as a means to carry out stage three of their research for this new anti-TB drug. However, there isn’t really informed consent, nor are there proper guidelines to the tests. Ie. They persisted with the trial despite the fact that people were dropping like flies. Very unethical right? Just makes my blood boil… I really think all this is happening today still… I wonder how influential the WHO can really be, with just a handful of supporters pushing for human rights in the face of cold, hard cash.
The film starts off showing us the death of Tessa Quayle, then rewinds into the past, showing us how the romance between the Quayles started and then became entrenched in doubts and lies… How Justin eventually unravels those doubts only after his beloved was brutally murdered en route to a small town in Africa. It culminates with Justin deciding to uncover the conspiracy, tremendously speeding up the pace of the film and ends with his tragic death. *sob sob* Along the way, in his frantic attempt to uncover the truth, complete his wife’s work as well as evade the *evil* pharmaceutical companies, we see various people with change of hearts… A former ‘drug pusher’ who’s suffering from cancer and finally deciding to quell some of the evil that he’s done, another who’s pushed right to the edge and decides that he has nowhere to throw his final lot but with the ‘good’ guys. It makes us shudder to see what makes the human race tick.
The soundtrack for this film is quite interesting, with all those African-sounding tunes, combined with the visual feast of colours and emotions - very stimulating for the viewer! I like the picture above, it’s just a fraction of what the film is. And within this one picture, encompasses the possibility of a future where colours and geographical boundaries do not divide people into those who are more deserving and those who are less deserving of the right to live.
