MOVIE REVIEW
Tamara Drewe (2010)
Peter Mountain/Sony Pictures Classics
“Tamara Drewe” contains, in one handy parcel, all which the English celebrate in middle-class life: wine and cheese at an author signing in a local bookshop; chickens being hand-reared at the back of the garden; horsey women with shotguns and wellies; a thriving village pub/bed-and-breakfast with a cheerful Aussie manageress; organic, locally grown food. The movie, with cinematography by Ben Davis, looks great, too: It never rains; the partial nudity is tastefully done; and when clothes are worn, they’re perfectly ironed. This film captures exactly a middle-class fantasy of life within the English countryside. This is not a bad thing, as safe middle-classness is rarely depicted, much less celebrated, in British media; the reverse of life as known in this film was last year’s “Better Things.” “Tamara Drewe” is a gentle satire without being mean-spirited, which is a difficult tone to maintain; and as far as comedy goes, it’s actually quite good in its understated fashion.