The Constant Gardener

7.5/10. This is Fernando Meirelles latest movie based on the novel by John Le Carre. It is essentially a romantic thriller mixed with a message of neo-colonial exploitation of africa - this time by a global pharmaceutical company.

Normally I am a bit jaded about watching movies of this type, being stupefied into inaction by the enormity of africa's problems. In any case, I have few illusions about large corporations ever changing their behavior. (In fact it is probably impossible just from a game theory/survival point of view). Anyways, the overall good demands that the message be conveyed effectively in the West and so it is upto the film-maker to lead the way.

At first glance, a Le Carre novel is an unlikely solution as this author is better known for his spy fiction set in the Cold War. However, in those works Le Carre was able to use his neutral tones to demystify the world of spies and show the drudgery and politics of their daily existence. They stood revealed as no different from the tired suburban masses who leave home every morning to serve corporate america. Another feature of his novels is the amoral/abstract endings which tell you something about the futility of ideologies. I'm guessing (without evidence) that the director's thinking here is that instead of shocking viewers with brutal images, it is better to be matter-of-fact and let them reflect on the issues later.

The story is as follows: John Quayle (Ralph Fiennes) is a simple-minded British diplomat posted in Kenya. He doesn't have a terribly stressful job and manages to spend most of his time gardening. Being so preoccupied, he more or less neglects his wife's professional career as a human-rights activist. The wife's role is played by Rachel Weisz, who is a pretty good actress in my view but hasn't been cast in that many challenging roles e.g. she was the good girl in the "Mummy" series of movies. Anyhow, over here she discovers that a large pharma corporation is testing an anti-TB drug on local africans while knowing that it can be lethal. Obviously, by European standards the drug is not ready for human trials. The bodies of africans who die from this are disposed off in a mass grave, which isn't greatly remarked upon in this part of the world. Eventually she learns enough to be a threat to the corporation which has few scruples in having her raped and murdered by contract killers. John struggles to make sense of this event, initially suspecting that his wife was killed by her black assistant whilst the two were having an affair. However, through her writings and by talking with her friends, he pieces together her life's work and discovers the shenanigans of the corporation as well as those of the British government, which is unsurprisingly concerned only with protecting the "system". In this way John emerges as the typical Le Carre hero with limited capabilities and even more limited effectiveness.

The romance between John and his wife is shown through flashbacks and is quite well done. It is of the realistic type though, and fans of movies like "The English Patient" will miss the hot and sweaty action in exotic locales. That by the way was a good call on the director's part given the nature of the novel. John's detective work is done mostly in Kenya and the Sudan where one gets to see colorful images of tribal life. The political corruption and ethnic violence are displayed quite impersonally and that is part of the overall effect. The UN's lack of effectiveness is clear as it airdrops food supplies that are almost immediately captured by lawless militias. It is likely that one of the militia's shown in the movie is the so-called Janjaweed (Arab) which has become infamous through their actions in Darfur. But the movie doesn't mention them by name which it should have - that kind of placement is too subtle for most audiences. Getting back to evil corporations, the film notes in passing the joke enacted in the name of Western medical supplies: the pills delivered are all beyond expiry with the purpose of providing a tax-break for pharma companies in their home countries. "This is how the world fucks Africa" says one character, and rightly so.

The director captures the basics of Le Carre's writing well enough that if you like his books you will like the movie. So, to sum up, this is a good movie for those who want to see something realistic about the goings-on in africa but don't necessarily want two hours filled with machetes and gore.