Parents' Guide to

Another Year

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Drinking and middle-age drama in excellent, complex film.

Movie PG-13 2010 129 minutes
Another Year Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 16+

Based on 3 parent reviews

doctora
doctora Parent of 5-year-old
June 23, 2022
age 15+

A film about heightened loneliness and pain, but with bits of hope that ebbs and flows

Mike Leigh, at it again. This film takes its time and Manville makes the most of that time. Her trajectory works best as we see her desperation and her loneliness and sadness permeate and make her seem more unstable with each passing season. Staunton in her brief cameo shows all in what she doesn't say. Stern, sad, and depressed about a life that does not seem to change let alone get any better. Her stare is a layered soul that has an unfair life and just wants to get through unnoticed. A great film about heightened loneliness and pain with quite a bit of hope that ebbs and flows in and out of character's lives.
alanps
alanps Parent of 11-year-old
May 28, 2011
age 18+

Brilliant

This is a grown up movie - it is deep and complex, very funny in places and tragic. I loved it, it is up with the best of Mike Leigh's movies.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Tom (Jim Broadbent) and Gerri (Ruth Sheen) are a lovely older married couple living in London and spending time working in their allotment garden. Over the course of one year (divided into four seasons), they entertain various friends and family members in their home, including their son, Joe (Oliver Maltman), who breaks a long dry spell by meeting a new girlfriend; Ken (Peter Wight), an overweight working stiff who drinks and complains too much; and Mary (Lesley Manville), a nervous, needy secretary who also drinks too much and flirts uncomfortably with Joe. Some of these characters look forward to new futures, some old wounds are opened, and some hard lessons are learned.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (3):
Kids say: Not yet rated

On several subtle levels, this is a very accomplished movie. British director Mike Leigh is famous for his working methods, in which he develops his screenplays with the input and improvisation of the actors. It seems to work; he usually ends up with emotionally rich, dramatically complex movies with memorable (and sometimes funny) characters. ANOTHER YEAR is no exception.

That said, there's a bit of a lack of a clear central character. Tom and Gerri are the anchoring characters, and everything revolves around them, but Mary is the most prominent character and the one with the biggest dramatic arc (and, notwithstanding Manville's extraordinary performance, she's not particularly likeable).

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the drinking in this movie. When Mary and Ken drink, they do it almost quickly and furiously. Why are they drinking, and what does it accomplish for them? What messages does the movie send about alcohol? What about the consequences of drinking?

  • What is the secret of Tom and Gerri's successful marriage? Can you think of other movies that portray positive, happy marriages?

  • Is Mary redeemed at the end of the movie? What has she learned over the course of the story?

Movie Details

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