London Film Festival 2012 – day eight: Everyday

Sunday 21^st October, 6.30pm – Screen On The Green

Michael Winterbottom’s last feature film Trishna failed to deliver the emotion that we know Winterbottom has achieved in previous films such as the infamously graphic 9 Songs or A Mighty Heart. In his latest picture entitled Everyday, we are introduced to a modest family valiantly trying to hold it together in the wake of the father (John Simm) serving a custodial sentence. Shot over a five-year period, the film charts a few select weeks during the prison sentence.

A trait that has become synonymous with a Winterbottom film is his ability to capture moments in their most natural state. The grainy look he chooses, giving the film an almost home-video-like feel, is fitting as we are asked to follow a very average family. Karen (Shirley Henderson) has four children with her husband (Simm); four young children who are proving to be a handful as Karen attempts to hold down two jobs as a barmaid and an employee at the Focus DIY store. It is never really made clear the exact reasons for her husband’s imprisonment, but that’s never really the main focus of the story. 

Like many other Winterbottom films, the pace is slow, but gradual. It’s a film steeped in emotion and heartache, as the family desperately try and keep things straight. All the while, regular visits to the prison serve as an unwanted reminder of their reality. Everyday is an interesting watch, but you have to stay with it in order to envelop what the characters are truly going through. 

It is refreshing to see Simm in a part that requires a low gear. It acts as a contrast to his usual high-octane roles in Life on Mars and the wonderful Mad Dogs on the silver screen. Fans of Winterbottom will know what to expect. Maybe not his best work, but Everyday definitely leaves much to ponder over. 

Everyday will be screened on Channel 4 in the near future.

Verdict: •••

Richard Taverner

Read more reviews from the 56^th London Film Festival here.

Watch the trailer here