Film Review - Ethel & Ernest (2016)

Figure 1. Ethel & Ernest

Ethel & Ernest is a 2016 British animated film directed by Roger Mainwood, The film is based on Raymond Briggs graphic memoir and follows Briggs' parents from their marriage in the 1920's to their passing in the 1970's. The animated film is a peek through the events of couple's life and certain events that go on within their life together.

Figure 2. Ether, Ernest & Young Raymond

The story focuses on key events between Ether & Ernest, how they met, their marriage, buying a house together and so on, it never really goes into too much detail and each 'short' is a snippet of their lives together. "it seems to be a 95-minute “time-passing” montage - The story moves briskly, even faintly incuriously through events, never staying all that long on each one." (Bradshaw, 2016) Some of these events that are never really touched upon involve Raymond and his incidents at school, they are never really explained but it brings out how Ernest and Ethel react to these situations as a family.

Figure 3. Ethel, alone at the table

In terms of the passing of time it is very clear and communicated through the more darker events of the story, when Ernest passes we are brought back to the house where Ethel is dinning alone, and he questions why he still lays out the cutlery, it's a very upsetting scene as we have spent most of the film with the couple always together and always communicating, here there is nothing much left and it makes the viewers feel just as lonely -  "The film touches on some dark subject matter - neighbours whose sons have been killed in the war, the schizophrenia of Raymond’s girlfriend – but does so with a very British restraint. It is also quietly satirical about the British class system and changing social attitudes – but it never patronises its characters."  (Macnab, 2016) There are darker parts of their story such as their experience through the war and Raymond becoming more older but the primary focus was Ethel & Ernest's time together which is what is spent so long building without going into too much detail with other events.


Bibliography:

Bradshaw, P 2016 Ethel & Ernest review Online at: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/oct/27/ethel-ernest-review-moving-adaptation-of-raymond-briggss-graphic-novel [Accessed: 02/03/19]

Macnab, G  2016 Ethel & Ernest review: Wonderfully evocative
Online At: https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/ethel-ernest-film-review-a7381006.html [Accessed: 02/03/19]

Illustrations:

Figure 1. Ethel and Ernest 2016 - Roger Mainwood - [Movie Banner]
Figure 2. Ethel and Ernest 2016 - Roger Mainwood - [Movie Still]
Figure 3. Ethel and Ernest 2016 - Roger Mainwood - [Movie Still]