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THE CONSTANT GARDENER

What You Need To Know:

THE CONSTANT GARDENER is a slow moving puzzle about a British diplomat who uncovers a government conspiracy while looking for his wife’s murderer. Unfortunately, more attention is paid to rendering a leftist political statement than a satisfying drama. Ralph Fiennes plays Justin Quayle, a worker from the British High Commission assigned to Kenya. His wife Tessa is impassioned about helping the diseased population in Africa, but she is killed soon after researching a medical firm donating medicine to Africans. Justin must make his own investigation into her murder, and he stumbles upon a conspiracy between the pharmaceutical company and the British government.

THE CONSTANT GARDENER strongly condemns capitalism as a force that motivates dishonest and deadly behavior. Its stance is very left-wing, and if you are not in agreement with its politics, you will find little to like about the movie. The subject matter is simply too dry to appeal to most people, and it doesn’t help that the story is saturated with exposition. THE CONSTANT GARDENER is over two hours long, and the audience feels every moment. It also contains some female nudity, strong language, brief violence, and a derogatory comment about religious people.

Content:

(HH, AcapAcapAcap, PCPC, Ab, LL, VV, S, NN, A, D, MM) A strong humanist worldview with very strong anti-capitalist elements in which corporations use government connections to cover up their unethical deeds, and politically correct content includes far left stance toward War in Iraq and a mistrust of government officials, with a derogatory remark about religious people; 18 obscenities, including many ‘f’ words, and five profanities; bandits pillage community and shoot some people, two men fight in hand-to-hand combat, description of violent acts, and quick visions of a man being tortured; foreplay, fornication implied, man attempts to have extramarital affair, and brief sexual innuendo; upper and back female nudity from pregnant woman, and upper male nudity; drinking; smoking; and, governmental conspiracy to harm people and cover it up, lying, and extortion.

More Detail:

Since the Cold War between the West and the Soviet Union ended, the spy novels of acclaimed author John Le Carré have become increasingly left-wing and didactic. They have also become, arguably, less artistically accomplished as well.

Based on Le Carré’s novel, THE CONSTANT GARDENER is a slow moving puzzle about a British diplomat who uncovers a government conspiracy while looking for his wife’s murderer. Unfortunately, more attention is paid to rendering a political statement than a satisfying drama.

Ralph Fiennes plays Justin Quayle, a worker from the British High Commission assigned to Kenya. He meets and falls in love with Tessa, played by Rachel Weisz, a liberal activist who is impassioned about helping the diseased population in Africa. When Tessa begins researching a pharmaceutical company who donates some medicine to the Africans, she is soon found murdered. Justin, although he works for the government, is unable to get any clear answers about her death, and it seems that no one wants to investigate it.

Justin must make his own investigation into Tessa’s murder. He suspects her of having affairs and sadly begins to doubt the legitimacy of their marriage. As he gets closer to the truth about a conspiracy with the pharmaceutical company, aid work in Africa, and the British government, he nears the same danger that Tessa faced. Justin has to decide if finding out the truth is worth risking his life.

“Spoiler alert: – Justin learns that it was not the pharmaceutical company that arranged for Tessa’s murder but the British government, which benefited from the pharmaceutical company’s continued success. In this way, the movie condemns capitalism as the force that motivates dishonest and sometimes deadly behavior. It also raises questions about the foreign aid work that industrialized nations fund so excessely, suggesting that the donors are getting more out of it than the recipients.

THE CONSTANT GARDENER will appeal to very few people. Unless you happen to work in international development, the crisis in Africa and the politics of international aid will simply be too dry. It doesn’t help that the director tries to be creative with the story’s structure but winds up making a mess of it. The movie is saturated with exposition, so that the action doesn’t actually begin until long past the halfway mark. The movie is over two hours long, and the audience feels every moment of it.

Unless you’re in accord with the politically liberal, anti-capitalist viewpoint, which in this story is also a humanist worldview, you will find little to like about THE CONSTANT GARDENER.

Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.


Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.