Another Year is the kind of film that can easily be looked over by many, as it is very unassuming in what it has to offer.  This is a Mike Leigh film, who mostly specializes in character studies, which do not feature much visual complexity, relying more on very well crafted characters, dialogue, and emotional story beats.  That said, his films are very well made, regardless of how I have generalized them and are certainly worth viewing if one is in the mood to see very capable actors deliver very solid performances.  This film is a good example of why a Mike Leigh film deserves attention from more than just critics, as it features tremendous performances and is a very well crafted drama overall.

The story is incredibly simple, but I shall describe the basic elements.  Tom and Gerri…yeah (Jim Broadbent and Ruth Sheen) are a happily married couple of over thirty years.  Living in London, the couple is essentially the core of their circle of friends, who come and go during the film.  The structure of the film revolves around an entire year, divided up into seasons.  While Tom and Gerri have a fairly normal life, the most destructive element is Mary (Lesley Manville), who is a receptionist at the clinic where Gerri works and a friend of sorts to the couple.  Mary, in a nutshell, has issues that involve her getting older and dealing with the challenges of her life.  Her difficulties tend to cause situations that sometimes involve Tom and Gerri.  Aside from Mary, the film continues to observe other friends and colleagues over the course of what is just another year.

While all of the performances are solid, it is Manville’s work as Mary that has rightfully gotten the most acclaim.  This is unsurprising, as Manville does amazing work at creating a character that does not feel pathetic or over-the-top or too much of the focus in a film that is all about having supporting performances being balanced throughout the film.  It is a shame that she was not nominated for an Oscar for her efforts, but it should not matter, because anyone who had the opportunity to see the film is aware of just how good Manville is in it.  Again, the work from all of the actors in this film is spot on, which does not come as a surprise, as Mike Leigh is very much a director that works directly with his actors in an effort to craft fully realized characters, regardless of how much of the detail that went into crafting them is directly evident in the film.  It is this aspect that gains the film the rating that I have for it and there is honestly not much more I have to comment on.

Having missed Another Year in theaters, I was happy to have had the chance to review the film now.  It is very good, given that a well made character study is what one is in the mood for.  The film does not break much new ground for Leigh as a writer/director, but it is certainly a comfortable one for him to have made.  Given that a standard-type film from his is plenty good to satisfy, a comfortable film from Mike Leigh is a very good thing.

These Sony Pictures Classics releases are always nice to look forward to, especially when it comes to recent features.  Once again, Blu-ray is a very good thing for films here, as Another Year is wonderfully presented in 1080p.  I did not mention it before, but cinematographer Dick Pope has a great eye in all genres and does lend an artful touch to the way the film was shot, which has lead to a lot of good looking imagery, which all comes across quite clear on this disc.  Kudos again to Sony’s solid transfer work for their Blu-rays.

Echoing my thoughts on how I feel about Sony’s record for delivering solid quality for their Blu-rays, Another Year is not a film that has much audio complexity either, but for a dialogue driven feature, it sounds very good.  Featuring a 5.1 DTS-HD MA soundtrack, the film is simplistic but effective in having the balance all feel well handled.  Various moments of atmospheric sounds are nicely tuned into as well, with never much overshadowed by dialogue or any sort of music that is occurring.  This film essentially had the most fittingly comfortable audio track available to listen to, which fits with the film.

I would not say I was expecting much, so the features provided on this disc are sufficient.

Bonus features include:

-Commentary with Director Mike Leigh and Actress Lesley Manville.  Basically the one feature you would really hope to get – the writer/director and the most memorable character having a conversation about this film.

-The Making of Another Year

-The Mike Leigh Method

-BD Live Enabled

I almost think the simplicity in my review of this film is a good enough reflection of the film itself.  While not full of narrative twists and turns or anything to truly hold you on the edge, Another Year is an effective film due to its strong performances that make up the film more than having a complex narrative.  Fortunately this did not lead to lazily putting out the film onto Blu-ray, as the presentation is quite solid from a video and audio standpoint.  There are only a few extra features, but the commentary is certainly welcome for a film like this.  Overall, I am happy this film is out and available for all to enjoy, were they to be happy to watch a solid drama.