The Constant Gardener Review
by innominatetwice (innominatetwice AT gmail DOT com)September 5th, 2005
"The Constant Gardener" is a love story.
Justin Quayle, played by Ralph Fiennes, is a diplomat, in the employ of the British Foreign Service. He is also a gardener. He is not a gardener in the sense that he applies his skills for other people for pay. He enjoys gardening as a way of escaping from the world. Gardening, growing flowers, and caring for plants is his avocation. Gardening requires patience and determination. It is a labor that demands his greatest attention, patience, and love.
Near the beginning of the movie "The Constant Gardener" Justin meets Tessa. Tessa, played by Rachel Weisz, is a beautiful Woman full of courage and conviction. Where Justin is something of an introvert, Tessa is an extrovert.
Justin and Tessa are ideological opposites. Justin is a certified member of the Establishment. Tessa is a rebel who challenges Establishment authority. In their first scene together, she challenges him as a representative of his diplomatic agency.
Nonetheless, they become lovers and eventually marry. Still they remain estranged. Justin seems to have difficulty communicating. Later, he intercepts an email, intended for his wife that suggests that she may be having an affair. She is not, nor does she ever violate his trust in her, but he does not know this until the resolution of the movie.
The movie itself is divided into two halves. In the first half Tessa is murdered, by persons unknown. This part of the movie presents us with the relationship between Justin and Tessa.
The second half of the movie begins with Justin seeking the truth about his wife's death. In the course of his search he encounters corporate conspiracies and other forms of intrigue. Although he receives warnings to stop his investigation, he continues. It is in this respect that we understand that he is "The Constant Gardener". Always turning over earth. Always persevering. Just like a gardener.
Eventually, Justin uncovers the nature of the conspiracy that killed his wife. And as he does, he also realizes that his discoveries, as they are observed by others, will mean his own death.
The ending of this movie is a thing of beauty. Justin, estranged from his wife and seeking the cause of her death, finally understands her.
This movie is a great love story, intertwined with modern themes of corporate and international intrigue.
I recommend it highly.
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