This is How the Pharmaceutical companies and the aid agencies Fu*k Africa
Yes, this movie is for Adults. Not just adults in age but who have the patience to watch a sensible movie with not
much of Hungama. If you want to really watch an intense movie with some substance. Yes, go for this one.
The Constant Gardener is based on a novel by John le Carre directed by Ferdinand Mercilles starring Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz. Its about the exploitation of the undeveloped and to an extent the developing countries by the so called research oriented pharmaceutical companies producing life saving drugs tested in a concealed manner.
The Plot
Tessa(Rachel We
The Constant Gardener
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isz) is an activist who is found murdered in a rural area in Kenya along with her co-activist who is Doctor. Although the officials pursuing the case try to close the case by cooking up of a passion kinda story between the two, Tessa’s husband Justin(Ralph Fiennes), who is a British diplomat is determined to unravel the truth in between the suspicions of infidelity by his wife which are being convinced by his seniors at work.
Just on the verge of being cornered to believe the distrust by his wife, Justin finds a letter written by Tessa about her startling findings in a vague manner which might have led to her death. The one thing that makes him more determined is the mention of her sexual favours that she had to perform for finding out the truth of the exploitation in these remote areas of Africa. With the help of a close friend in London, he travels back to Africa and decides to unravel the truth. The more he dwells into the ditch, the more he realises the gravity of the situation. He goes to the UN camps where thousands of illiterate, at times uncivilised, are being tested with drugs invented by some of the world renowned pharma companies from UK and US. All this is done by getting them signed with something called an Informed Consent(IC) which means that the drug company is not responsible for their death caused by the side affects of these untested drugs.
These drugs are supposed to be curing the Tuberculosis patients for the coming generations for which all these bigger companies are vying to make the riches which could be in millions. But is it worthwhile to do so in such a crooked manner and that too at the cost of encroachment of endangered civilisation like the African tribes? To start your thinking process, if any, Do watch this movie.
Cinematography
One of a kind. All in Africa with a couple scenes in Europe. Most of the times, you kind of a get a feel of watching a documentary on National geographic or Discovery Channel. But its seems beautiful. Some of the scenes just take the breath away like the Crater seen from the plane view and the train and cycle on the track scene.
Music or Rather Background Music
Am not sure about others, but I for one hardly use to pay attention to background music. But recently I came across somebody who was interested to go to School for studying the application of Background music in Movies which is about 2 years course. Now that is something which triggered me to thinkg about BG. So as and when the slightest music is heard in a movie, I kind of get attentive. For this movie, you need not be. Its so flowing that you can simply relate to at all the times you will feel the African affect whether its fear, sorrow, death, confusion, joy, etc.
Performances
Rachel is beautiful in the romantic scenes, at the same time seems very much at ease playing the activist part. Ralph is perfect as the lover+husband, frustated diplomat, as well as the helpless determined fighter. All said gud performances by one and all. Oh did I mention about an Indian in the movie? Yeah, one who played the sister’s role of Jaspinder(Aman Panjabi) from Bend it Like Beckham gets a chance to act in a supporting role here as one of the Management executives of the villianous pharmaceutical company.
Direction
He has used a really different narration style with the initial 30 to 45 minutes seem like that of Memento where the story goes back and forth making it little confusing but not later. The movie ends with one of the most touching scenes. Not that of the Hero but the African children smiling and dancing while our minds for sure think Oh Poor children. What have they done to be treated as guinea pigs by the so called Life saving companies along with the Mafia(governmental agencies) support.
Its a Poignant movie. Am not sure whether it has been a big hit but is a hard hitting one, not to be missed.
Thanks for reading till this one. Now if you are curious what the title of the revu meant, read further, Viagra was invented with about a bilion dollars investment over a period of 8 years. But eventually due to the side effects, the management decided to hire a company which can market it in another sphere and the result is the profit Pfizer and like companies made over the last few years. The way this pharmaceutical companies work is amazingly cruel at times. I just meant the management and ethics part.