Director: Gerald Fox
Cast: Jack Davenport, Annabel Mullion, Margaret Tyzack, Diana Quick, Adrian Dunbar, Thomas Underhill
Running Time: 95 minutes
Certificate: 15
Synopsis: When a stroke-afflicted woman decides to give her beautiful Provence house to a hippy foundation rather than to her son, she puts a strain on the already-troubled relationships between her family members as they realize something they love dearly will soon be gone forever…
When looking at the synopsis for MOTHER’S MILK, it’s hard to make a judgment on whether the story appeals. After all, a middle-class family facing the loss of something very luxurious? Oh, god forbid! But there is so much to Edward St Aubyn’s original novel; sadly, the film version is not as straightforward as the book seems to be.
MOTHER’S MILK marks a change of direction for Gerald Fox, who is usually known for his art documentaries (most notably, his dramatized doc on Brett Easton Ellis) and that influence can be seen in his approach to this movie. But whilst the cinematography’s beautiful colours are aesthetically pleasing, the handheld camera work often feels like a drunken dad filming a wedding.
Another problem with the film is that it needs more back-story. It’s hard enough trying to tell such a complex story in 90 minutes, and without sufficient information on the characters it’s hard to understand why they do what they do. At the beginning of the film the one of the youngest of the Melrose clan really doesn’t like his baby brother Thomas (played by the director’s daughter), but this point is never touched on again. It’s such a shame the books that precede MOTHER’S MILK have never been adapted because this film needs an extra boost of back-story – particularly for the character Patrick Melrose. Hopefully, the amazing performance Jack Davenport gives mean this won’t be the last time Patrick appears on-screen.
In fact, the performances save this film. Margaret Tyzack steals the show in the role of stroke victim Eleanor, whose actions kick start the whole story. In her last role, the brilliant depiction of Tyzack’s character’s struggle proves how great an actress she was before her death last year.
If you can make it past the odd handheld camera shots, there’s a great story in there somewhere. Some aspects might not work, but the characters win over in the end.
MOTHER’S MILK is released in UK cinemas 9th November.
