Is Anybody There?

The construction of the story in Is Anybody There? is perfect for allowing the opposing views of three generations on life after death. A couple in their late prime (David Morrissey and the excellent Anne-Marie Duff) live in the old people's home they run with their young son, Edward (Bill Milner). Edward's obsession with ghosts and the dead makes his rather un-ideal home for a boy a perfect in one sense; for here people die regularly and he is able to test out his theories about contacting those who have crossed over. His [unnamed] Mum and Dad's attitude is more about simply caring for the dying and the practicalities of dealing with their deaths.

The third generation's view comes from Clarence (Michel Caine). His friendship with Edward pits a firmly held belief about the afterlife with one who is unsure but is desperate to have knowledge. Unusually, the certainty is not a religious standpoint. The certainty is Clarence's disbelief, like passionate atheism, that there is nothing after death, and no contact with the dead. This makes life meaningless for him. Edward passionately fights this outcome as he does not want to inherit Clarence's bitterness.

But Edward's obsession gives Clarence a kind of hope, despite his disinterest in spiritualism, that Clarence can soothe the pain of his departed wife - though that pain is not what we first assume.

There's an array of familiar faces amongst the residents, including Thelma Barlow, Rosemary Harris and Elizabeth Spriggs. The crude character (Leslie Phillips) gives nothing to the film, unlike the other subplots of latter day romance and impending senility.

A critique of care of the elderly is presented. As Clarence points out, why do people who live alone or in small family units get herded into a large group of strangers for their later years? Like Jonathan Creek, Clarence's suppressed former career of magician shows how trickery is often about the perverse and twisted. Although I didn't enjoy the shaking war veteran (Peter Vaughn) losing his finger in such an act, all works together for good here as the shock offers a cure for the victim.

The story seems to end with the predicted plenary - in this case a birthday party for Edward where Clarence at last uses his magic publicly again. But the unexpectedness of the above leads the story off again.

The other strand of the story is comparable to Revolutionary Road. A couple in their thirties reflect how their life choices, particularly having had a family young, have led them to have dissatisfactory lives. Edward's parents have no time for dates or fun, being too busy running their business and looking after others. This causes affairs, huge rows and the potential break down of the marriage.

Unlike Yates's novel or Duff's other work of last year, Garage, Is anybody There? is uplifting and affirming, with the right mix of fun, poignancy and positive resolution that does not compromise the hardness of its subject or reality.