ONE DAY
UK/US, 2011, 107 minutes. Colour.
Anne Hathaway, Jim Sturgess, Patricia Clarkson, Ken Stott, Rafe Spall, Jodie Whittaker, Romola Garai.
Directed by Lone Scherfig.
I was very surprised to find myself quite tearful at the end of this film and wondered why.
First of all, I was predisposed to like One Day as I had enjoyed the director’s films, Italian for Beginners and An Education. She seems to be able to combine serious themes with humour and emotion. Next, I admired the cast, the always attractive Anne Hathaway, Jim Sturgess who is showing greater versatility as the years pass. And the supporting cast was very good as well: Rafe Spall stood out as a would-be stand-up comic who has to come to terms with reality, Romola Garai as a humourless wife and mother, Patricia Clarkson as Sturgess’ mother (with an English accent) and Ken Stott as his gruff father.
But, I suppose it was mainly the plot and the interactions of the characters over twenty years or so. David Nichols, who adapted his novel for the screen, had the idea of taking one day each year, July 15th in fact, St Swithin’s Day, and tracing through glimpses, some very brief, some lengthier, how the two characters change.
The first day was in 1988 when Emma and Dexter graduated from university in Edinburgh. The encounter is brief and the two part (though there is a development of that day which becomes more explicit at the end of the film). Dexter goes to India for a year, later helps Emma move to London, re-visits her, has meals, goes with her to France for a holiday. He also becomes a TV personality on a late night variety and interview show which makes him more callow, relying on drink, drugs and women. Emma, in the meantime, has worked for some years in a Mexican restaurant but studies to be a teacher and proves good at this profession as well as writing a children’s book.
The film shows us what strong friendship can be, in good times, as well as in down times. Emma is a good confidant but does not take Dexter’s self-excusing lightly. Eventually, after Dexter marries and is divorced, he and Emma are able to come together more seriously than before.
The ending came as a great shock to me, quite upsetting. But, the film effectively takes us through the aftermath to a satisfying, even hopeful future.
1. The portrait of the couple over time? A succession of effective glimpses?
2. The emotional response to the characters, their friendship, love, watching them and being with them over a period of years? The ups and downs, age and ageing, experience? The sudden ending? The aftermath?
3. The Scottish locations, the 1980s, Edinburgh, the university, the city, the streets? The contrast with London in the 1990s, the next decade? The different areas of London, the importance of so many vistas of the city of London? Atmosphere?
4. The musical score, the plaintive basic melody, the use of songs?
5. The structure and the effect of focusing on July 15th, St Swithin’s Day, the explanation, the weather, good fortune, or not? The interest in seeing this day over the succeeding years, a way of getting to know the two characters, responding to them emotionally, their own emotional relationship, happiness, disappointment, hope, final sadness?
6. The portrait of Dexter, his age at graduation, drinking, preoccupied about sex, the encounter with Emma, his friends? Going to her place? The awkwardness, his staying, Emma’s reactions? The glimpse of that first day, the fuller visualising of it at the end of the film? Dexter and his relationship with his parents, their arrival, his mother and her caustic comments on her husband, the visit to France, the philistine attitude of his father? Joking about Alain Delon? His mother’s illness? His television career, trash television, his television personality and voice? His mother’s reaction, her straight talk? His father and laying down the law about his visits? The background of Dexter’s going to India, coming back, helping Emma to move to London? The holiday in France? The sharing with Emma, the swimming, the stealing of their clothes? Their rules and breaking them? His becoming more phoney, his relationship with girls, his mother’s reaction? Emma’s reaction and comments on his television voice? His further drinking, being introduced to drugs? The meals, his going down? The new program? Trash, his being sacked? Going to Tilly’s wedding? Her husband, his friendship, the discussions about crayfish, his decision to work for his friend? The relationship with Sylvie, going to Sylvie’s parents, playing the Moriarty game? His awkwardness? The parents’ reaction? His decision to marry? Discussing it with Emma? The birth of his daughter? His reaction to Sylvie’s affair, the divorce? Emma consoling him – and these sequences off-screen? The decision to marry Emma? Their love? Her wanting to be pregnant? Not succeeding? Being upset with Dexter, writing him the note, the suddenness of the accident and her death? The final message on the phone? Dexter and his grief at Emma’s death? His being bashed? His past interactions with Ian, Ian coming to speak with him, telling him the truth, of all the good that he did for Emma? Dexter’s relationship with his daughter? The trek up the hill with her, remembering – and the flashbacks about the first day, his parents’ arrival, his leaving her, her leaving him? A portrait of life?
7. The portrait of Emma, the graduation day, the friends, encountering Dexter, going to her house, his going to leave, her awkwardness – in the light of her later revelation of infatuation with him? Her moving to London, working in the Mexican restaurant? Her friendships with the staff? The years passing? Dexter and the frequent visits, talking, the meals? Tilly and sharing the house with her? Ian’s arrival, co-worker? His wanting to be a comedian? Emma going to France with Dexter, the holiday, the rules, the skinny-dipping, the stealing of the clothes? Her being Dexter’s confidante? The years passing? Her studying teaching? Living with Ian, reactions to him? The schoolchildren and the play – and the comparisons with Dexter’s television show? The years with Ian, his attempts at comedy, the tensions between them, the break-up? Her writing the book, her overcoming her diffidence, success? The publishing of the book, being in Paris, meeting Dexter? Her being with the jazz artist? Discussing this with Dexter, leaving the artist, going to Tilly’s wedding, discussions? Dexter’s divorce, their acknowledgment of love for each other, wanting to be pregnant, failing, the suddenness of her death?
8. Dexter’s parents, his love for them, his father’s bitterness, his mother’s illness, her straight-talking to him? His father’s visit to the television station? The end and their watching television together?
9. Ian, his character, hopes, his wanting to be a comedian, at the Mexican restaurant, the nature of his comedy? With Emma, their partnership? The break-up? His final plain talking to Dexter?
10. Sylvie, her family, the game, the parents’ reaction? The marriage? Sylvie’s affair, with Dexter’s friend? Her child? The divorce, her remarrying? Her friendship with Dexter?
11. The end, Dexter with his daughter? Going up the hill, remembering – the audience understanding him, Emma? And the prospects of his life into middle age with Emma absent?
