239. The Leisure Seeker; movie review

THE LEISURE SEEKER
Cert 15
102 mins
BBFC advice: Contains suicide scene

My mum and dad have a policy of never watching movies about illness and old age unless the latter are comedies.
Therefore, there is no chance they would take in Paolo Virzi's The Leisure Seeker - simply because they don't want to be reminded of their own failing health.
In a way that is a shame because it showcases the best of two of the great veteran actors - Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland.
The Leisure Seeker has an improbable premise - that a dementia sufferer (Sutherland) should drive his ill wife on a road trip in their rickety old mobile home.
Sutherland's character, John, slips in and out of amnesia much to the frustration of his wife. Ella (Mirren).
Often he slips back in time and, when he does, long-standing jealousies creep out.
However, much of the time, their trip rekindles days of their youth - due to the nature of the adventure and because it traces over all ground, literally and metaphorically.
Meanwhile, the couple's children (Christian McKay and Janel Maloney) are desperate to see the parents home in what they believe is a safe environment.
The Leisure Seeker poses interesting questions about how we perceive our old folk and, consequently, how we handle them.
It has a rare quality because it is able to confront old age, dementia and terminal illness with a combination of empathy and fun.
Indeed, it prompted memories of the sadness of visiting my gran in a care home but also the strange comedy moments which her condition elicited.
However, I can understand why some people would want to steer clear of The Leisure Seeker because it could be a little bit too close to home.


Reasons to watch: Two great actors giving it their all
Reasons to avoid: Perhaps a little too close to home for elderly audiences

Laughs: A couple of chuckles
Jumps: None
Vomit: Yes
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 7.5/10

Director quote - Paolo Virzi: "The first day I saw them working with the dialogue I encouraged them to feel free to improvise, not to be that faithful to the text because it wasn’t William Shakespeare."

The big question - Should people have to suffer the indignity of dementia?

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