The only thing ordinary about Owen McCafferty’s debut screenplay is the description of the love between its two protagonists, Tom and Joan. The latter of whom has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Everything else about the movie is exceptional. Particularly the performances by Liam Neeson and Lesley Manville who much like the husband and wife co-directors Glenn Leyburn and Lisa Barros D’Sa bring an unvarnished honesty and gallows humour to what is a deeply moving and incredibly beautiful portrayal of a couple struggling to deal with an unexpected and life-altering roll of the dice which pits Joan’s survival chances at 50/50.

People often speak of “fighting” and “beating” cancer. But in truth, all we can do is take one day at a time, look death in the eye and hope he blinks first. Along the way, we need all the love and support we can get. Whether that be from friends and family, clinicians or strangers. But as Joan says to a fellow patient Peter (David Wilmot), who much to the distress of his partner Steve (Amit Shah) has decided to refuse treatment on the grounds that his diagnosis is terminal, even though we may not know which path to chose, the choice is ours and ours alone. And alone-ness is a recurring theme which shadows both our lives and deaths.

The ordinary of the title refers to the domesticity of their relationship which following the death of their daughter is close yet plodding. Literally so as they embark on a daily walk along the shore to combat middle-age spread. A losing battle for Tom who rewards his exertions with a liberal tipple of wine and beer. Evenings on the sofa are followed by afternoons in the supermarket where conversation narrows to the minutiae of sprouts. And even when the cancer takes hold, it is the daily routine they cling to to help them get through the day.

Hair and appetite disappear, but sex and love remain. As does the petty bickering which masks the unspoken pain of both the past and the present. They soldier on as best they can and learn how to savour what little they have. Which is enough to give shape and meaning to their lives. No easy answers are offered, no glib life lessons are dispensed; just one foot in front of another as they continue to plod along the shore of life, at the end of which is a tree of hope whose branches blossom and thin with the passage of time. An ordinary love, but a remarkable film which draws wonderfully nuanced and understated performances from its leads who are sure to garner praise and recognition during award season.

Directors: Lisa Barros D’Sa, Glenn Leyburn
Writer: Owen McCafferty
Stars: Liam Neeson, Lesley Manville, Amit Shah
Peter Callaghan
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