95. The Wife And Her House Husband; movie review

 

THE WIFE AND HER HOUSE HUSBAND

Cert 15

86 mins

BBFC advice: Contains  strong sex, sex references, language

When is cheap too cheap?

I mused over this issue because of Marcus Markou's very laudable initiative to show his new film for just a pound at participating cinemas.

He should be praised for attempting to bring in an audience but I fear he may be undermining his product.

This is because, in my opinion, The Wife And Her House Husband is worth an entrance fee equal to many of the big-budget productions I have seen this year.

Indeed, even though its costs were in the tens of thousands of pounds, I have rated it the same as Ant-Man and The Wasp Quantumania which burned a $200m hole.

However, Markou has created a debate so kudos for that.

On to his film which is a well-acted, intriguing and believable drama about a couple finalising their divorce.

Laura Bayston plays Cassie, a go-ahead businesswoman who is under pressure to hand over a generous settlement to her stay-at-home husband (Laurence Spellman).

In return, she presents a letter of places she wants to visit with him before they split.

Initially, he is outraged that there should be any delay but goes along with it and their complex story emerges as they retrace their steps.

Markou's sharp writing offers plenty of surprises as the couple discuss their children, work, sex life and other elements that brought them together and forced them apart.

Tenderness and anger surface in equal measure as the pair wrestle with decisions of the past, present and future.

Bayston and Spellman both impress and the production values are terrific, given the film's budget.

Indeed, the best compliment I can give it, is that, if I hadn't seen a publicity copy ahead of its release, I would have happily parted with full price at the cinema.

Reasons to watch: Well acted and believable

Reasons to avoid: Will be too low-key for some

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 7/10

Did you know? According to the research, between 10-15% of couples reconcile after they separate.

The final word. Marcus Markou: "“The struggle for independent films has never been more challenging post covid. I’m launching ‘Cinema for a Pound’ to release The Wife and her House Husband - which was made on a microbudget during the pandemic - but also to raise the profile of indie films at cinemas and how indie filmmakers can build their own audiences."

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