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Another year (2010)



A happy family turns out to be the safe emotional haven for all their failed friends, especially for the wife's unlucky co-worker who just can't seem to get a grip on life and her expectations.

A really really beautiful film. Very simple setup and slowly takes you in. I'd love to see the directors commentary on this one. There are a couple of things I noted for myself.
Compartimentalization into four seasons: I love chapters in films. I have no idea why.
The other thing is that the character of the brother is not really introduced until the last quarter of the film. This really surprised me, because he becomes the center of that last episode.
Beautful, very simple camerawork. Fantastic acting. Nothing wrong with the film, except maybe that two or three quirks of the characters are hard to understand for Non-UK viewers.

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