Still Life (2013); drama film review

British poster artwork for the drama film Still Life.

Dignified Departures by Linh

Still Life is Italian film-maker Uberto Pasolini’s second feature film as director and writer, following his previous film Machan which dealt with the hardships of people who move to another country to seek wealth and a better life. While Machan had some light-hearted humour juxtaposed with the seriousness of socio-economic conditions and treatment of immigrants, Still Life is gentle and poignant in its depiction of death, connections, relationships, compassion and humanity.

Still Life is deeply moving at times where the main character John May (Eddie Marsan) goes about living his quiet and lonely life while working to “assist” those who have lost theirs. The film opens with John being the only one at three different funeral services for his “clients” and he attends the burial service afterwards. John is a council worker in London, working for the Client Services department, who is tasked with seeking the family of the deceased. Many of the cases involve those who have died alone in their own homes and have no family or no contact with family members for many years. This makes it difficult for John to find his “clients” family to attend funerals and organise burials or cremations. John arranges funerals as a courtesy and out of kindness for the deceased even though family or friends never attend. A curious thing John does, that is possibly not part of his job, is collect photographs of his deceased “clients” and place them inside a large photo album with his other “clients”. It seems creepy but it also shows that he is keeping alive memories of the dead which otherwise their family members should be doing.

After a series of sad cases such as a single lady named Jane Ford who was found dead in her bed at her home and her cat named Susie died shortly after, John comes across a case concerning a middle-aged man named William ‘Billy’ Stoke. Stoke’s case becomes John’s final one as his manager Mr. Pratchard (Andrew Buchan) announces that John’s role will be made redundant due to cost-cutting and he will be “let go” in the next three days. However, John pleads for a few more days to complete Stoke’s case, which gives him more time to find Billy’s family and friends. As John traces the family and work history of Billy, he finds the connections he makes with the Stoke family, especially with Billy’s long-estranged daughter Kelly (Joanne Froggatt), and Billy’s ex-workmates and army friends, provide a better idea of who Billy Stoke was as an individual and not just another “client”.

DEATH DUTIES: John May (Eddie Marsan) speaks with a client's family member who refuses to attend their relative's funeral in the film Still Life. Image: Redwave Films.

Throughout the film, audiences are given a glimpse into a person’s private life according to their material possessions and personal documents. Obviously, people cannot take material possessions with them when they die, yet these physical objects can represent part of a person’s individuality; giving them a name, an identity and leaving behind a history of a person’s life. In the film, John takes some of these possessions, particularly photographs, to help him write eulogies and plan for funerals as the family members often never attend or care about the deceased relative. Therefore, John places more value on the individual than onto the objects, yet in society (usually in capitalist ones), humans are often seen as commodities. The film seems to suggest that commodification is prevalent in modern society, turning underlying human relationships we have with each other into commodities. Hence, John refers to the deceased as his “clients” instead of personally addressing them by their name and his manager sees the deceased in monetary terms. This begins to change when John worked on his final case for Billy Stoke. Not only did he manage to convince family, friends and ex-colleagues to attend Billy’s funeral, he saw other possibilities in his life.

DEPARTED'S DWELLINGS: John May (Eddie Marsan) must visit his deceased clients' homes to seek information for contacting family in the film Still Life. Image: Redwave Films.

Eddie Marsan (The World’s End, God’s Pocket) is excellent as the laconic and meticulous John May, and convincingly portrays a character with a personality that suits his job. John is a reserved and quiet man who pays attention to details and is very organised and orderly about everything he does. He almost seems to possess obsessive compulsive disorder, being very cautious and careful in his personal life as he is at work. John’s personality changes gradually from controlled to spontaneous following the news of his redundancy, yet these changes seem to be more positive than harmful, particularly when he meets Billy’s daughter Kelly. 

Joanne Froggatt is mostly known for her roles in British television dramas such as Coronation Street and Downton Abbey, and she is delightful and wonderful as Kelly in Still Life. Not only is Kelly a romantic interest for John in the film, she is also a catalyst for John’s change in his life’s perspective. He even stops wearing a suit and tie and dresses in colour instead of his usual black coat and white shirt. 

CLOSE CONNECTIONS: Kelly Stoke (Joanne Froggatt) finds a friend in John May (Eddie Marsan) in the film Still Life. Image: Redwave Films.

The supporting cast give some memorable performances such as the two homeless men (Paul Anderson and Tim Potter) who knew Billy very briefly and his ex-colleague Shakthi (Neil D’Souza) at the meat pie factory. These characters represent the disconnect often seen between family, friends or colleagues when a person’s bad or unwise decisions result in disagreements and animosity.

CONSOLING CONVERSATION: John May (Eddie Marsan) buys a bottle of whiskey for two homeless men who knew Billy Stoke to encourage them to attend Billy's funeral in the film Still Life. Image: Redwave Films.

Still Life is a cathartic experience for anyone who has lost a loved one and the film is emotionally-stirring in its simplistic depictions of the deceased who are only seen in photographs and spoken about by others. The film also shows that sometimes we all remember our loved ones differently when they die and the impression left by the deceased may not always be positive, but they will not be forgotten either. This film is a remarkable and must-see independent film from Pasolini and the unexpected ending will leave some audiences teary-eyed or dissatisfied.

Director: Uberto Pasolini

Writers: Uberto Pasolini

Cast: Eddie Marsan, Joanne Froggatt, Andrew Buchan, Neil D’Souza,
Tim Potter, Paul Anderson, Karen Drury, Bronson Webb, Mark Oliver

Producers: Uberto Pasolini, Barnaby Southcombe, Ceri Hughes, Felix
Vossen, Christopher Simon, Marco Valerio Pugini, Michael S. Constable

Original Music Composer: Rachel Portman

Cinematographer: Stefano Falivene

Film Editors: Gavin Buckley, Tracy Granger

Production: Lisa Hall

Costume Designer: Pam Downe

Running Time: 1 hour and 35 minutes