HOW ABOUT YOU
Ireland, 2007, 100 minutes, Colour.
Hayley Atwell, Vanessa Redgrave, Joss Ackland, Brenda Fricker, Imelda Staunton, Orla Brady, Joan O’ Hara.
Directed by Anthony Byrne.
How About You takes its title from the popular song, I Like New York in June…, How About You?
The film comes from a story by Maeve Binchy of the same title. Film versions of Binchy’s stories include A Circle of Friends and Tara Road.
The film is set in a home for elderly residents. It is Christmas time. Orla Brady portrays the widow who is running the home but is hindered in her keeping staff and getting new residents by four cantankerous elderly people played by Vanessa Redgrave as a faded actress, Joss Ackland as an alcoholic judge, Brenda Fricker and Imelda Staunton as sisters who looked after their mother. The sister of the manager, played by Hayley Atwell, comes to earn some money before she travels overseas with her boyfriend.
At Christmas, most of the residents go home leaving only the four cantankerous ones. A message that their mother is ill means that the director has to go home leaving her sister to manage by herself. She begins to take a firm stand, answering back to the residents, challenging them – with the expected results that they band together, especially to go shopping for the Christmas dinner food, preparing the meal and celebrating it.
Perhaps a fairy tale with transformations happening so quickly, but the fine performances of all concerned as well as the good spirit makes this an entertaining film.
1.Themes of age, deterioration in health, physical and mental? Death? Care and care-giving?
2.The Irish background, the home, the beautiful grounds, the river, the seasons? The town, the streets, the markets and the pub?
3.The title, the song, the use of the theme throughout the film? Other songs, especially performed by Vanessa Redgrave?
4.Maeve Binchy and her stories, the touch of humanity?
5.Aged care, the homes, management, the staff? the director, the difficulties? The residents, their demands? Their expectations? Cantankerous? The tension between care and business survival? Inspections?
6.The introduction to Kate, harassed, the staff leaving, the visitors, the four central characters, Alice? The inspector’s arrival? His strictness? The difficulties with money?
7.Kate, the widow, her investing in the home? Her strictness, expectations of the staff? the contrast with Elly, younger, the different relationships with their mother? Elly and her boyfriends, the prospective trip? The arguments, her needing to earn money, clashes with her sister, love for her sister? The uniform, employment, working?
8.Elly learning about the home via her talks with Alice? Alice liking Elly, her dying, her attitudes towards the staff, facing death, the photo of herself and her husband, the stories of her life and travel, not having children and the regrets? The touch of daring in the past? Elly and the marijuana? Easing Alice’s pain? The theme of relishing life, Elly taking Alice to the river, the warning that she would catch her death of cold but dying nonetheless? Her death, the sudden disappearance, making up the room? The effect on Elly?
9.The members of the staff, the Spanish woman and her being harassed by Georgia? The locals? Care and a job?
10.People going away for Christmas, the four remaining? No staff? Kate and the emergency? Elly staying? The risk for the inspection? Elly and the bells ringing during the night, Georgia’s demands for martinis, Donald and his wanting his breakfast…? The various reactions, petty stances, Elly and her mistakes? Her dealing with the cantankerousness?
11.Elly and the continued bells, talking straight to each of the residents? The final challenge to them, reading the riot act and telling them what they were like? Their being upset, the reaction, moving to the one table, forming the committee, the decision to help with Christmas?
12.Georgia, her appearance, racist remarks, disliking being old, the cigarettes and the martinis, ringing the bell, snapping at people, being in the garden in the cold? Her story: her career, the photos, singing, the celebrities, her regrets? Going to town, singing in the pub and the rapturous response?
13.Donald, gruff, sarcastic, playing the piano? His dead wife, being a judge, drinking, telling the story that he was immediately sacked? Not sober for his wife’s death? Telling Elly that the piano piece was by Satie?
14.Heather and Hazel, together, their arguments, looking after their mother, not old but going to the home? Dependent on each other? Heather and her controlling the mail? Elly putting the letter under the door? The revelation about Hazel’s son? The harshness of their father? The story of Hazel’s pregnancy, Heather’s support, the adoption? Heather and her ability at pool, in the town, playing the men? Heather being short on the pool table, her paintings, wanting them secret?
15.The agreement to go shopping, the shopping experience, Heather playing pool and beating the young man, in the pub, the drinks, the revelations of their stories? The paintings in the pub? Elly and the effect? Her being a catalyst?
16.The Christmas dinner, everybody enjoying it?
17.The inspector arriving, upset, his return, his wife leaving him, celebrating the dinner with them?
18.Kate’s return, her being upset, smoking pot with Elly? The background of the cookies with the pot? Elly at the river, talking, the possibilities?
19.The variation on A Christmas Carol?
