NMR: The Constant Gardener

I continue my Netflix "Tour of Africa", with this little known film from 2005. This is a film that got very little mention and probably would never have hit on my radar had Rachel Weisz not won an Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in this. Since I heard it was a political thriller, I decided to check it out and boy am I glad I did. Ralph Fiennes stars as Justin Quayle, a member of the British High Commission who is currently working in Africa. Weisz plays his wife, who is mysteriously murdered. The film then follows Quayle's quest to find out who killed his wife.

The movie rises above your typical political thriller through it's superb direction by Fernando Meirelles. He does some very creative work both visually and temporally with the story that make it unique and captivating. Weisz' work was definitely worthy of the award and Fiennes is outstanding as well. Watching the transformation of his character as he goes on this investigation is really something. And unlike Blood Diamond, the film never preaches, yet you are very aware of the plight of these Africans throughout the film. The movie is based on a John Le Carre novel. I've never read anything by him, but from what I understand, transfering his work to film is never easy, so I give the writers credit for making such a compelling film. This is not a film that you shut your brain off for, so if you're up for a thought-provoking, well-made film, I highly recommend this one. Netflix rating: *****