The Lawless Heart

2001 Drama

This second feature from Boyfriends' directors Neil Hunter and Tom Hunsinger explores intertwined relationships in a sleepy seaside resort in the U.K., broken up into three segments. The film centers around the funeral of Stuart (David Coffey), the gay partner of Nick (Tom Hollander), who owns a local restaurant. Stuart's brother-in-law Dan (Bill Nighy) is a depressive farmer who lives with his wife Judy (Ellie Haddington) and becomes smitten with a French woman named Corinne (Clementine Celarie), a local florist. As Dan and Judy attempt to settle Stuart's estate, Dan gives into having an affair with Corinne -- but then ends up cheating on her with an amorous stranger (Sally Hurst). Meanwhile, Nick offers Stuart's straight best friend Tim (Douglas Henshall) a place to stay. Nick is furthermore disrupted by the advances of Charlie (Sukie Smith), a free-spirited woman who takes a liking to Nick and introduces him to hetero intercourse. The final section of the film centers on Tim who, after being abroad for several years, has a dalliance with shop owner Leah (Josephine Butler), who happens to be the former girlfriend of his adopted brother David (Stuart Laing). Also featured in the film are Dominic Hall, June Barrie, and Peter Symonds. more..

Director: Neil Hunter

Starring: Bill Nighy, Douglas Henshall, Tom Hollander, Clementine Celarie, Sukie Smith

Reviews

  • By allowing the stories to play off one another and allowing layers of meaning to accumulate before we even notice them, the filmmakers capture some of the essential strangeness of life -- the way our relations are governed by laws that remain invisible to us until art reveals their workings.

    Dana Stevens - The New York Times

    20 January 2013

  • Charming, disarming and in some ways humbling film.

    Kenneth Turan - Los Angeles Times

    20 January 2013

  • The thread that winds through their stories is love lost and connections found, but only the audience is able to weave it into something to keep.

    Ty Burr - The Boston Globe

    20 January 2013

  • So well crafted, so original, that each overlapping scene swells with new life and interpretation.

    Robert K. Elder - The Chicago Tribune

    20 January 2013

  • It's an intriguing experience.

    Desson Thomson - The Washington Post

    20 January 2013

Awards

  • Best Screenplay

    British Independent Film Awards (2002)

  • Best Cast

    Chlotrudis Awards (2004)

     
  • Neil Hunter

    Dinard British Film Festival (2001)

     
  • Best Screenplay

    Evening Standard British Film Awards (2003)

  • Neil Hunter

    Locarno International Film Festival (2001)