Morvern Callar is the second film from Lynne Ramsay, director of Ratcatcher (reviewed Here) and We Need To Talk About Kevin. Both of these I found to be fascinating films and beautifully shot. Thankfully Morvern Callar is no exception, in fact it feels like the missing link between those two films. The film begins with a dead body, Morvern Callar's boyfriend has killed himself just before Christmas and is lying on the floor, next to the presents surrounded by a pool of blood. His suicide note has been left on the computer as well as instructions of what he wants doing (the publishing of his debut novel). Whether through shock or some other motive, Morvern doesn't alert anyone to the death of her boyfriend, instead telling them that he has moved out and left her. Yet despite this incredibly bleak opening, the film manages to be warm and ultimately made me feel a little better about the world.
You see Morvern Callar is an interesting character, she's stuck working as a supermarket checkout girl, a job she seems to hate, she spends most of her free time getting wasted with her friend Lanna, and she never seems content at any period. Large portions of this film are told through wordless actions, imagery over script, not to say that the script isn't a good one, it is, but Ramsay seems to find more important aspects of a person through how they act rather than what they say. It's not just the actions of the people that she focuses on though, imagery in general is very important. At the start of the film we see the flashing lights of a Christmas tree, with the dead body lying next to it, it's a very striking image that sticks with you, and taints not just the idea of Christmas, but also adds a level of sorrow to any part of the film when lights are flashing, such as in clubs later on in the film.
The soundtrack to this film is fantastic, and also quite cleverly explained. One of the things that her boyfriend bought her for Christmas is a mixtape he compiled, as well as a walkman to listen to it on, so throughout the film Morvern Callar is seen listening to this tape, clinging on to the good memories that she had with her boyfriend, as if listening to him tell her something one last time. Thankfully her boyfriend had good taste in music, with artists such as Can, Broadcast, Aphex Twin, Stereolab and the Velvet Underground all making appearances. In fact when listening to this tape, Morvern looks her most at ease.
As the film progresses Morvern and Lanna go on holiday to Spain, and it is here where Morvern really starts to realise what she wants from her life, and how she can be content. She's no longer content to stay in the same place all her life, doing the same things for ever, she wants to move out and move on. It was this aspect of her character that i found completely identifiable. It is unfortunate that it took her boyfriends suicide for her to realise that she needed to move on, and indeed that she was capable of moving on, but ultimately Morvern Callar leaves this film a lot happier than she was entering it.
Thematically this is similar to both Ratcatcher and We Need To Talk About Kevin, dealing with grief, guilt, death and being alone. Whilst this all sounds depressing, it's dealt with in such a beautiful way, visually engaging and superbly acted that you can't help but feel joy at the end of the screening, despite all that you've seen unfold before you.
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