300. The Escape; movie review

THE ESCAPE
Cert 15
101 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong language, sex

I admire actors who test themselves in different roles rather than going for the easy-money route.
Most recently, examples of big screen transformations have been particularly evident among comedians such as Steve Carell.
In Dominic Savage's The Escape, Gemma Arterton puts to bed the flighty images created by her emergence in St Trinian's and more latterly in movies such as Their Finest.
She plays Tara, a depressed suburban housewife who is desperate to become more than a sex toy for her oblivious husband (Dominic Cooper) and punch bag for her two screaming children.
The Escape has been criticised because of its denouement or even by people (men?) who cannot grasp why a mother would fall out of love with her offspring.
However, the finale apart, I could imagine many of these scenes playing themselves out in homes across the land.
It certainly does not paint the family's breadwinner in a good light - Cooper's character demands that his needs are fulfilled.
He believes he offers meaningful responses to his wife's depression but they are, at best, superficial and, at worst, an attempt to get her back doing what he wants.
The Escape is not a happy movie. Arterton's Tara is spends the first hour in a state of complete despair while her kids' cry and her husband goes through the motions of marriage.
Indeed, to amplify my point, Miss W complained at the loud sound of incessant children crying from our downstairs TV (I was sent a screener link).
However, it may strike a chord with stay-at-home mums who feel they are under pressure and under-valued.
And, as said, it offers Arterton and Cooper (his role is much different to the lapdog in Mama Mia!) a chance to show the great range of their abilities.

Reasons to watch: The quality performance of Gemma Arterton
Reasons to avoid: It is unrelentingly miserable

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 7/10

Director quote - Dominic Savage: "We shot in a real family home, and the children in the film were a part of the family that lived in that house. She was able to move into its walls and become that person."

The big question - How do some marriages survive so long?

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