British official Justin Quayle (Ralph Fiennes) and Tessa (Rachel Weisz), a political activist and crusader fall in love and quickly marry. She is killed before they get a chance to really know each other. Devastated by his loss, Justin tries to put the pieces together by finding out the "how" and "why" of Tessa's murder. He putters in his garden while thinking. The "how" and "why" is told in vivid flashback sequences in this fast-paced movie. "The Constant Gardener" is a love story, a mystery movie and an academy award worthy film. Author John Le Carre wrote the novel and it has been brought to the screen splendidly by director Fernando Meirelles.
When Justin has to go to Kenya, Tessa goes as well. Later, while visiting a hospital she believes that she has watched as a woman was being murdered. She asks questions, but the answers do not satisfy her. Soon after, Justin receives word that Tessa and her driver have been ambushed and are dead. As Justin delves further into his wife's life, through her e-mails and by talking to those who knew her, he finds a complicated woman who was fiercely dedicated to social cause and justice. In this case her cause was drug testing on human subjects and AIDS. With all that Justin has read in Tessa's personal papers, he realizes that she was willing to do whatever it took to get the answers she needed. Early on he discovers that the driver with Tessa was actually a physician and a long time close friend. Justin also, discovers that there are some who welcomed Tessa's demise. She was an embarrassment to the diplomatic community, too close to her good looking African friend and colleague, Dr. Arnold Bluhm (Hubert Kounde), she asked far too many questions and she knew too much. While going over the information he has gathered, Justin starts to believe that Tessa's was on the right track to getting the answers she was so desperate to find; and all roads lead to something bigger and far more dangerous than Justin would have guessed. By the end of the movie, Justin has come to respect Tessa highly and to believe in, what she believed in and fought for. And like Tessa, he too is willing to do whatever it takes to get answers to her questions.
The Constant Gardener will give you something new to think about. With today's headlines about drug companies, you begin to wonder if truth is really stranger than fiction or if truth and fiction are sometimes soul mates.
An excellent movie.
Rated R
After watching the movie, read John Le Carre's novel The Constant Gardener
. The movie is far less angry than Le Carre's complicated and well written book.
