Life and friendship: "Career Girls" [1997 UK]

Mike Leigh's deceptively titled "Career Girls" might lull you into believing it to be easy viewing, with a sweet and fairly simple mainstream plot, but this ridiculously overlooked film has more layers than your average puff pastry.

Granted, there are some contrived moments and a bit of overacting here and there, but they greatly help us in exploring the relationship between central characters Hannah (Katrin Cartlidge) and Annie (Lynda Steadman) - former room mates from college six years ago. Having settled reasonably into their professional lives, they meet again over a weekend in London, and their past story is retold using intermittent flashbacks. When Annie first met Hannah in answer to an ad calling for a room mate with g.s.o.h, little did she know that she'd really need one - Hannah was a tense young woman with a lot of pent-up rage, whose searing - almost abrasive quick-witted remarks would put people off from even approaching her. Annie herself was hopelessly insecure, with a constant twitch and a crusty dermatitis-afflicted skin covering half her face. Ever submissive, her head slanted away from people in desperation to avoid eye contact. And yet, they stuck it out for four years in their grungy apartment on top of the Chinese takeaway.

Gone now are Annie's twitches - a lot more self assured, she's also devoid of any signs of her past skin affliction. Sharply dressed Hannah too is a pleasant departure from her younger unkempt self. A whole lot more calmer, she's also mindful of other people's feelings these days. But their reunion starts off rather awkwardly, with forced small talk and uneasy silences in between. The chillness in the air departs after Annie accompanies Hannah on an adventure across town with the ruse to view properties for sale. They meet characters from their past who sometimes even fail to recognise them, and as much as they bring back memories, they will also distinguish people who've made it from those who fell by the wayside. It becomes clear that while Hannah and Annie may have not kept in touch all these years, they'd invariably influenced each other without them noticing - and that they'll always share a unique bond - a deep trust, and acceptance of each other as they are, that neither time nor distance will diminish. In meeting up, they had just strengthened that valuable and life-affirming bond...

As with any Mike Leigh film, it's not the message, but the route it takes to be delivered that matters. The characterisation is what makes this film so special, and the sensational performance by late Katrin Cartlidge as Hannah, and the endearing portrayal of Annie by Lynda Steadman (making her film-début) combine to make this an engrossing character study on people and friendship. The dialogues, replete with highly inventive and sharp-witted one-liners, may not leave us in fits of giggles, but will help us swallow some bitter truths, and appreciate what we've so far achieved despite falling short of our own expectations. This reflective and woefully underrated Mike Leigh classic is Highly Recommended Viewing..!

Amazon DVD Link [PAL]

 

The Nudity: Katrin Cartlidge
The few seconds of a topless Katrin Cartlidge gives me an excuse to write about the film. Not often have I wished a film had lasted a bit longer - this one did, engaging us even if nothing much happens in it. The aforementioned scene occurs after Hannah has sex with a lazy, skirt-chasing, and obviously handsome Adrian (Joe Tucker) - one that Annie too fancies.



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Katrin Cartlidge in Mike Leigh's "Naked" [1993 UK]

On the eve of the London Olympics, and walking amidst the sea of union flags, nervous commuters, and hysterical BBC presenters who've by now pitched tent in every corner of town, it is not difficult to come across a noticeable outpouring of exuberance around you, quite unusual for 'normal' British behaviour. Don't get me wrong, actually, I'm one of those really glad to have the games here, and would even love to see F1-racing through Charring Cross Road. Of course, I don't really need to commute for work, nor do I physically need to visit the area to trade, much like some of those planning the event. I'm grateful as it is that they didn't pack us all out of town like they did in Beijing. Besides, where there is chaos, there's also chance of having some fun, and I have decided to embrace this chaos. Why else do you think the British are renowned for their sense of humour!

Works by British director Mike Leigh manifest this cherished sense of humour, he is after all one of Britain's finest and inquiring film makers working today. His brilliant nihilistic drama "Naked" set a new standard for Danny Boyle and others to follow, in its depiction of gritty realism infused with sharp wit and a healthy dose of social satire.

Storyline:
It is actually not that relevant but here it is anyway - unemployed Mancunian Johnny arrives at ex-girlfriend Louise's shared flat in London after getting himself into trouble back home. Johnny is introduced to her outrageous 'wicky-wacky' flat mate Sophie, and before long they hit if off. The following day however, he's had enough of both the women and walks off into the night - his walkabout will take him past some unforgettable characters and situations among the remnants of Thatcherite Britain. He momentarily crawls back to Louise and Sophie's flat after being beaten black and blue by some local thugs, and gets to meet their well-off landlord Jeremy who'd dropped by ostensibly to collect 'rent arrears'. Throughout the film, we'll see a constant comparison of these two characters - not quite dissimilar in the way they treat women, but while one's is out of arrogance, the other's is out of alienation, and it is the alienated Johnny who we will feel empathy for.

Watching this film is like opening the manhole of a blocked-up sewer - it will hit you with a blast even if you're aware of what to expect. And I mean it in the best possible way, because it ultimately has a cleansing effect. It is ugly, bitter, and at times unpleasant, but it is also incredibly moving and a keenly observed study of relationships using humour. It is cinema, pure and beautiful. David Thewlis who plays Johnny is sensational, delivering a complex character with all its flaws and vulnerabilities quite magnificently. Lesley Sharp as Louise revels in the understated irony of her character, and Katrin Cartlidge who plays Sophie is the perfect foil to Thewlis' bitter rantings. It is a shame that Ms. Cartlidge, a talented and gifted actress passed away at such an early age. As for Mr. Thewlis, remarkable as he is in this film, he is at times upstaged by Ewen Bremner (Trainspotting) who plays a frantic Scot that Johnny befriends during his walk across the city. Some of the scenes will stick with you for a while, and some scenes you will love to watch them again. A fine director's masterpiece, Mike Leigh's "Naked" is Highly Recommended Viewing..!

Amazon DVD Link

 

Compilation:
Katrin Cartlidge, David Thewlis, Elizabeth Berrington, and Deborah MacLaren



Scene Guide:

• Sophie and Johnny decide to have some fun, excellently portrayed by Katrin Cartlidge and David Thewlis respectively - some witty lines also included.
• After Jeremy is put down by his date at a restaurant, the frustrated man takes home eager waitress Giselle. I somehow don't think she'll remember him fondly after that evening. Giselle is played by Elizabeth Barrington, and Jeremy by Greg Cruttwell - he tries to be as menacing as a Malcolm McDowell, but alas he also has the weakest of lines in the film.
• A long scene of Johnny with a mature beautiful woman he first noticed by a window. It isn't dialogue-heavy, but is still one of the most moving scenes in the film. The woman is played by Deborah MacLaren.
• This scene between landlord Jeremy and Sophie is unpleasant and made all the more shocking by Sophie's feeble response to what just happened to her. Louise, in many ways the film's conscience, is finally made aware of the facts.

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