Fridae

A notable big screen romance for straights and those who are still
on adulterous high with The Engilsh Patient. The Constant
Gardener teams up British stars Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz
with Brazilian wunderkind director Fernando Meirelles, and the result
is a strong, sweaty, muscular feature that is both a passionate
love story and a riveting political thriller.

Fiennes plays a low rung, horticulturally inclined British Diplomat
Justin Quayle whose quiet demeanour makes him a non-threatening
presence in the bureaucracy.

The same can't be said for the woman he married. Tessa (Weisz in
her Golden Globe-winning role) is an impassioned activist fighting
for greater medical support in Africa. A constant gadfly to her
fellow politicos, she soon uncovers a pharmaceutical conspiracy
that threatens the lives of thousands of Kenyans living in the AIDS
and TB-stricken region. Her disclosure will scandalise not only
the local government, but also the big bosses back home. Naturally,
she becomes the target of assassination whose death sends Quayle
on a mission to uncover the truth.

Even as the film takes the form of constant flashbacks, there is
a very palpable exigency driving it in a surge of forward motion.
Audience will be kept at the edge of the seat as the film drives
its exposition to its final denouement. Admittedly, much of the
film's energy derives from Weisz's heartfelt performance that manages
to convey a surprisingly depth of vulnerability behind her confident
postures. It is unfortunate that the film loses a third of its bite
and steam after her exit.

Still, the wonderfully nuanced performance of Fiennes manages to
hold the film together. You don't need to be able to tell the lilies
from the violets to enjoy this film.