Shaped by pain
Couple’s marriage put through wringer in ‘Ordinary Love’
What happens when you agree to love someone for better, for worse, in sickness and in health? “Ordinary Love” is a movie that explores the limits of love and marriage. ❚ Tom (Liam Neeson) and his longtime wife Joan (Lesley Manville) live a humble life with a normal routine. They shop, eat and power walk together and share the same witty
banter. Though still grappling with the death of their daughter, the couple seemingly has it all together.
Until Joan she finds a lump under her left breast. From that point the movie takes off into a nonstop journey of what happens to a couple after a cancer diagnosis.
Directed by Lisa Barros D’Sa and her husband Glenn Leyburn, “Ordinary Love” was written by playwright Owen McCafferty.
There are beautiful moments between the couple as they navigate this new way of life. Tom carefully shaves his wife’s head, and the two share moments of unwavering passion.
The lows are gut-wrenching. While undergoing chemotherapy Joan feels pain her husband cannot. She pushes him away and distance grows between them. Joan doesn’t want her illness to change her, but the viewer can see that it has changed them both.
While this film is mostly focused on the couple, it also showcases aspects of the individual.
Neeson gives an outstanding performance during scenes by himself. Best known recently for his action roles, Neeson brings a real-life feel to Tom. You can feel his anxiousness as he waits for hours in hospital lobbies while Joan undergoes several surgeries.
It’s agonizing to watch him break down because he couldn’t keep a fish alive, having already lost his daughter and afraid to lose his wife.
Throughout the film, they each keep on a strong face in front of each other and fall apart when they’re alone. As Joan’s illness progresses, time allows that strength to fade. Even after years of being together, it isn’t until this moment they’ve become their most vulnerable.
“Ordinary Love” is not a movie solely about cancer. It is a raw, on-screen adaptation of what hundreds of couples experience when their limits are tested — physically, mentally and romantically.
This film, like the love these couples have for one another, will stand the test the time. Elizabeth Montgomery is a producer for The Arizona Republic, azcentral.com
and the Arizona Storytellers. Reach her at emontgomery@azcentral.com or 602-444-8764. Follow her on Twitter @emontnews.
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