And When Did You Last See Your Father? - Preview
Preview by Jack Foley
GET those hankies at the ready this autumn for the release of And When Did You Last See Your Father?, starring Jim Broadbent and Colin Firth.
Based on the honest novel by Blake Morrison, the film follows the fortunes of successful writer Blake (Firth), who treats his ageing parents as something of a burden.
However, when his father (Broadbent) becomes terminally ill, Blake is forced to reassess a relationship characterised by obscure resentments and frequent public humiliations when he was growing up.
He therefore comes to ponder whether Mr Morrison Senior was a bully and shameless philanderer – or just a larger-than-life soul who always meant well?
Directed by Anand Tucker (of Hilary and Jackie fame) from a script by David Nicholls (Starter for Ten), And When Did You Last See Your Father? is an emotional, often hilarious examination of family ties. But be warned – you’ll need your hankies close by.
IndieLondon caught an early, pre-Edinburgh preview and it’s a film marked by terrific performances and a nice balance between drama, tragedy and humour. Broadbent and Firth are superb, as are some of the younger cast members.
The film is playing as part of the Edinburgh Film Festival and opens in UK cinemas on October 5. Early word suggests that Broadbent could well be in line for awards nominations, with Bafta almost a certain contender and even possibly the Academy Awards.
In novel form, And When Did You Last See Your Father? won the JR Ackerley Prize for Autobiography in 2004 and became a best-seller for its honesty and relateability. Morrison has since followed it up with As If, about the trial of the two young boys convicted of killing the toddler James Bulger in Liverpool in 1993, and Things My Mother Never Told Me, a memoir of his mother, in 2002. His most recent work is 2007’s South of the River.