This is How Movies Should Be Made

Purely Joyful Movie!

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

Having seen some of the Michael Winterbottom movies...i am able to make out that he is an all rounder in making films of all kind..from erotic (9 songs) to sci-fi (code 46)..but "Everyday" made a everlasting mark in my heart which other films of his doesn't couldn't do.It makes me ready for my turn as a father..Really overwhelming to a see a women working hard with a smile on her face,though she has a Himalayan task of providing her 4 children with food,love and a void to fill left by the father whose is at jail for non-specified reason.Michael Nyman's tunes kindles and provokes the emotion of viewers greatly.Not to mention..the so realistic acting of Shaun and Robert..Shaun as a sensitive young boy idolizes his father to such a extent that he is ready to give anyone a black-eye who speaks ill of his father..A heart warming movies to watch for every 20+ people who are about to own a family of their own..

From director Michael Winterbottom (24 Hour Party People, A Mighty Heart), I heard bits and pieces about this feature length drama done in a relatively alternative way, where it is all filmed in real time, and it certainly adds to the realism of the story. Basically, filmed over a real period of five years, and with all four children played by real siblings, this tells the story of mother Karen (Shirley Henderson) who cares for her our children, Shaun (Shaun Kirk), Robert (Robert Kirk), Katrina (Katrina Kirk) and Stephanie (Stephanie Kirk) while their father Ian (John Simm) serves his time in prison for drug smuggling (although his crime may in fact be unspecified). When Karen does go with her children to visit Ian the journey is always long and laborious because he moves from prison to prison, and there is also a journey to get the children to school and back, but life goes on as usual. Day to day life for the family has repetitive routines, such as getting up early for the visits, brushing their teeth, working at the pub, eating meals, attending school, watching television and other mundane things, but Karen being lonely is also sleeping with Eddie (Darren Tighe) from the pub. Ian enjoys the visits from his wife and children very much, and despite being with bored with hardly anything to do in prison he always looks forward to hearing what his family are up to since they last saw him, the children grow fast and he misses spending personal time with his wife, and she feels the same. It is towards the end of his sentence that Ian gets the opportunity to spend a full day with Karen, Shaun, Robert, Katrina and Stephanie, so they go to their favourite spot the beach, before taking the children to town and the couple finally getting a room to be intimate in a short time. Finally the day comes when Ian is released having served his time, he is happy to see Karen and the children and be able to go home with them, he familiarises himself with life back where he belongs, but he is upset when Karen confesses her infidelity, but he forgives her in the end and they are all happy. Also starring Polly Kossowicz as School Teacher, Valerie Lilley as Grandmother and Peter Gunn as Shop Manager. Henderson gives a believably honest performance as the wife who is bored and needing her husband back and does everything she can to support and care well for her children, Simm gets his moments as the father who looks forward to every time he has with his family and looks forward to his release, and the four children who we see grow in real time are cute and endearing. The fact that this film was made over a period of five years is a very interesting concept, it definitely helps you believe the story of a troubled but loving family, the really related children ageing on screen is one of the key parts of what makes this film feel like a documentary, I agree it is emotionally draining in some way throughout, but it is an exceptional drama. Very good!

The film appears to have been shot in Lincolnshire and Norfolk, much in the Stamford area, and focuses on one family over five years, as they wait for the father to be released from prison. This is not one of those depressing 'true life' stories, but is a non-judgemental documentary style piece about a family living with an edge of expectation of what's round the corner, with real life pending for the moment. The film benefits from being shot over five years, as there are no changes of actors as the children age. John Simm and Shirley Henderson are completely believable ordinary parents, and the natural performances of the children, who are real-life siblings, help create the documentary feel.

It's not very often that I enjoy a film in which very little actually happens! But "Everyday" is an exception. I saw it recently when it premiered at the BFI London Film Festival. It's a thoughtful, understated film with excellent performances. It held my interest right up until the end. And I enjoyed it very much. Filmed over 5 years, "Everyday" is a worthy but never dull film about how a mother and her four young children cope while her husband and their father serves a term of imprisonment. Karen (Shirley Henderson) spends the time accompanying her children to and from school, trying to keep the family's home-life on a reasonably even keel and visiting her husband Ian (John Simm) with the children. At the same time, she is trying to hold down her job as a barmaid at the local pub. She is also having an affair with one of her customers. "Everyday" examines the impact of Ian's absence on his wife and children. It does so in a naturalistic and unassuming way. There are no histrionics or very dramatic scenes. What we get are quietly effective vignettes that show how disruptive a husband and father's extended absence from home can be, particularly on young children. The acting is first rate. Henderson and Simm are very good indeed, as are all four youngsters who play the couple's children. The direction and the camera-work are also very effective. "Everyday" is a visually confident and a very impressive film. 8/10.