Review 639: The Constant Gardener

 

Based on the novel The Constant Gardener by John le Carre, Justin Quayle (Ralph Fiennes), a British diplomat in Kenya tries to solve the murder of his wife Tessa (Rachel Weisz), an Amnesty activist. Believing there is something behind the murder, her seeks to uncover the truth and finds and international conspiracy of corrupt bureaucracy and pharmaceutical money.

Justin is a minor member of the diplomatic corp, who's more interested in his garden than in other people until the firery, radical world of Tessa turns everything upside down. 

It's about reaching self-knowledge and knowledge of the world. 

The films title derives from Justin's gentle but diligent attention to his plants, a reccuring background theme that informs his patience and persistence.

Director Fernando Meirelles' direction is sensitive and the cinematography is beautiful and captures the vastness of the films African locations. The score by Alberto Iglesias is