THE WAITING ROOM
UK, 2008, 96 minutes, Colour.
Anne Marie Duff, Rafe Little, Rupert Graves, Frank Finlay, Phyllida Law.
Directed by Roger Goldby.
A domestic drama set and filmed in actual locations in London’s Wandsworth and Balham. While the scenario is not unfamiliar, it is given an emotional treatment with some good performances.
Most of the action takes place in adjacent houses of a suburban street with some excursions to the nearby park and to Wandsworth Common station and its waiting room. Some action also occurs in a home for the elderly and the flat of one of the workers. A circumscribed world but one which many audiences will find familiar and/or identify with it.
Anna (Anne-Marie Duff) is divorced and alienated from her former husband. She lives, very protectively, with her young son. Next door is a little girl, his best friend. Her mother (Zoe Telford) and Anna are also best friends but Anna, who can’t believe she is doing it, is having an affair with her best friend’s husband, George (Rupert Graves). George is out of work, is moody with his wife and wants to leave her and go away with Anna. This is not part of Anna’s life-plan at all.
In the meantime, Steve (Ralf Little) cares for an old lady who is dying (Phyllida Law) and a man who has lost his memory (Frank Finlay) and goes every day to the station to wait for his wife’s train. Steve usually brings him back – but one day, the old man is helped by Anna. That is how she and Steve meet. Steve is in the process of breaking up with his girlfriend and imagines… Anna imagines…
A glimpse of fairly ordinary people in a fairly ordinary suburban setting, their problems, their struggles and their hopes.
1.A slice of London life? Wandsworth Common and Balham? Focused on the area? Typical of London life?
2.The Wandsworth Common settings, the streets and the homes, the park, the railway station? The musical score?
3.The title, the waiting room at the station? Roger, Anna and Steve? The culmination in the waiting room – and the symbolism of the waiting room for Anna and Steve to be together?
4.The focus on Anna, in the train, coming home from work? At home, her former husband, seeing him on the television? His unreliability, his coming to the house, taking their son out? The son coming back? Anna and her criticism of him? Her later relenting, trying to give him an opportunity to relate well to his son? Her relationship with George, coming home, George coming in, the adulterous relationship? The boy coming into the room and her shouting at him? Her apology? Her nerves, wanting to break the relationship with George? Not knowing how it began? Her best friend next door, George’s wife? Their reliance on each other, discussions? Her not telling the wife and urging George not to tell her? Going to the meal, the wife setting up a date for Anna? Their discussions? Its falling through? The wife, her upset, talking to Anna about her relationship with George? George and his coming to the house, pleading with Anna, promising to leave his wife? Her refusal? Going on the walk with her son? The chance meeting with Steve at the station, his looking after Roger? Her kindness towards Roger? Her fantasies about Steve? Her appearing in Steve’s fantasies? The missing one another on the station? Roger finally bringing them together? A future?
5.Steve, in himself, his relationship with his girlfriend, the tensions, her discussions about babies? Her parents’ visit, Steve picking them up, the discussions with her father? His tension, the break-up? His work at the home, the therapy, his kindliness with the people? The old lady, the discussions, reading Mansfield Park? Her death and his sadness? Roger going to the station, going to get him, bringing him back? His meeting Anna, the impact of the encounter, her kindness towards Roger? His imagining her in his fantasies?
6.George, his relationship with his wife, the tensions, his daughter? Anna as a good friend? The relationship with her? At home, not having a job, the possibility of having a job and Anna telling everyone? His moods, coming to the house, pleading with Anna, her rejection of him? His wife, her abilities, her self-consciousness, moodiness, criticisms of George, pouring her heart out to Anna?
7.The old lady in the home, nice, her memories, reading, her failing eyesight, her death?
8.Roger, the memory of his dead wife, going to the station, waiting for her? Steve taking her home? The encounter with Anna? His friendliness with Anna, the finale, his imagining his wife? His bringing the two together?
9.The humanity of the film? Failings? Strengths? Ordinary life, possibilities?
