The statistics in the UK about people who care for relatives in their own home are quite startling because it is a group of people that it is easy to never see and never think about. This film interested me because it was about such a person, Antonio, who looks after his father who needs to be hooked up to a respirator full time to breath for him. The set up is engaging as we see Antonio putting his father first and then later being left rather on the edges of his social group as a result of his domestic role. So far so good I thought.
However it is the need for some sort of dramatic ending that ruined it for me. When Antonio was running back to his flat in worry, I had assumed that he would burst in to find everything find thus making the point of the emotional price of being a carer for a family member. However by bursting in to find that the near-death experience had been real, it seemed that the focus of the film was suddenly on the nurse and the lack of care provided by her to his father. I felt this was an unfortunate way to end the film because she was not the focus either as an individual or as a social group, Antonio was. I know that the governmental support for carers is weak but in this case a nurse was available and it does come over like the film was attacking her, rather than a system of support that doesn't do a good job of supporting. The point is valid but it was badly done here and damaged the film.
This was a real shame because mostly it was very good and convincing up till that point. The actor playing Antonio came over as very real, tired and jumpy rather than bitter, although I didn't think the actor playing his father had a lot to work with or do. Mulloy's direction is impressive whether on the street or in the confines of the flat. I thought the end panic was handled badly but I suspect that was more down to my feelings on the material than my objective (and unprofessional!) view on his direction in this section! Overall an interesting and worthy film that is very good until a confused and unnecessarily dramatic conclusion rather takes the shine off what had gone before.
However it is the need for some sort of dramatic ending that ruined it for me. When Antonio was running back to his flat in worry, I had assumed that he would burst in to find everything find thus making the point of the emotional price of being a carer for a family member. However by bursting in to find that the near-death experience had been real, it seemed that the focus of the film was suddenly on the nurse and the lack of care provided by her to his father. I felt this was an unfortunate way to end the film because she was not the focus either as an individual or as a social group, Antonio was. I know that the governmental support for carers is weak but in this case a nurse was available and it does come over like the film was attacking her, rather than a system of support that doesn't do a good job of supporting. The point is valid but it was badly done here and damaged the film.
This was a real shame because mostly it was very good and convincing up till that point. The actor playing Antonio came over as very real, tired and jumpy rather than bitter, although I didn't think the actor playing his father had a lot to work with or do. Mulloy's direction is impressive whether on the street or in the confines of the flat. I thought the end panic was handled badly but I suspect that was more down to my feelings on the material than my objective (and unprofessional!) view on his direction in this section! Overall an interesting and worthy film that is very good until a confused and unnecessarily dramatic conclusion rather takes the shine off what had gone before.