A council case worker looks for the relatives of those found dead and alone.
Beautifully crafted and exquisitely observed with an outstanding performance from Eddie Marsan in the lead.
Quiet and contemplative.
The real reason to watch, though, is Marsan, who provides a typically impressive performance in the lead role.
Shoots for dry humoured social observation, hits unsubtle critique.
It is a sad, muted film, speckled with many poignant and shrewd little visual touches about what solitude feels like.
This is a gentle, well-observed drama with a very likeable performance from Marsan as the Mr Benn-like hero. The ending, though, is just a little too treacly.
It’s slow but absorbing, well acted and poignant.
I was unprepared for the transcendent final moments, which left me suddenly and unexpectedly in tears.
A scrupulously tasteful drama about lives lived in quiet desperation, Still Life mines the irony of its title as it focuses on a council worker who spends his days tending to the affairs of those who have died alone.
Marsan gives it heft but the path he’s on is a predictable one.
General release. Check local listings for show times.
RSS feed of Cinema reviews