Another Year

Another Year

Year: 2010

Runtime: 129 min

Language: Chinese

Director: Mike Leigh

Budget: $8M

DramaComedy

The film portrays the daily life and emotional journey of a Chinese migrant worker’s family. Through a series of intimate scenes, it explores themes of love, loss, and longing as they navigate the challenges and joys of their existence. The narrative reveals the quiet beauty and difficult realities that define their lives and shape their relationships with one another.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – Another Year (2010)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Another Year (2010). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Four Seasons of One Year

The events of the movie unfold over a year, encapsulating the changing seasons of spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Each season reflects the different phases of life and relationships, allowing a deeper exploration of happiness and discontent faced by the characters.

Location

London

The film is set in London, a vibrant city known for its rich history and diverse culture. In particular, the film highlights Tom and Gerri's garden, a place of solace and connection with nature where they nurture their vegetables throughout the seasons.

🌆 City 🌿 Garden

Last Updated: December 31, 2024 at 17:39

Main Characters – Another Year (2010)

Meet the key characters of Another Year (2010), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Tom Hepple (Jim Broadbent)

Tom is a geologist with a gentle and nurturing disposition, providing a stable presence in his family and friends' lives. His love for gardening reflects his patient nature, while his interactions with those around him highlight his deep empathy and desire to help others.

👨‍🌾 Gardening ❤️ Family 🌍 Geology

Gerri Hepple (Ruth Sheen)

Gerri is a compassionate counselor, exhibiting a warm and understanding personality. She is devoted to her family, often acting as the emotional backbone for her friends, particularly Mary, navigating the complexities of their relationships with grace.

💖 Counseling 🌼 Kindness 🏡 Home

Mary (Lesley Manville)

Mary is a middle-aged divorcee grappling with loneliness and a desire for connection. Her character reflects the struggles of navigating relationships while dealing with her own disappointments. Despite her facade of independence, her vulnerability reveals a deep-seated longing for love and acceptance.

💔 Loneliness 🍷 Social Struggles 🚗 Independence

Joe

Joe is the Hepple's only child, a competent solicitor with a strong sense of duty to help those in need. His unmarried status and professional life reflect the challenges faced by the younger generation in establishing personal relationships and achieving happiness.

⚖️ Law 🌍 Social Justice 🌱 Growth

Last Updated: December 31, 2024 at 17:39

Major Themes – Another Year (2010)

Explore the central themes of Another Year (2010), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🍂 Relationships

The film delves into the intricacies of relationships, showcasing both the comfort of long-standing bonds and the challenges faced by individuals in their personal lives. Through the dynamics between Tom, Gerri, Mary, and Joe, it presents a poignant examination of the pursuit of love and connection amidst life's adversities.

😔 Unhappiness

A significant theme in the film is unhappiness, portrayed through the struggles of various characters. Each individual's dissatisfaction serves as a backdrop to the Hepple's stable and loving relationship, emphasizing the contrast between contentment and longing.

Last Updated: December 31, 2024 at 17:39

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Explore Movie Threads

Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Movies about quiet loneliness like Another Year

Films that explore the profound solitude lurking within ordinary lives.If you liked Another Year's tender observation of isolation, explore more movies like it. This collection features similar drama and comedy films that focus on everyday loneliness, offering bittersweet, slow-paced stories about middle age, friendship, and the quiet discontent of ordinary life.

melancholiccontemplativelonelyquietsoberingtenderautumnalintrospective

Narrative Summary

Narratives in this thread are typically character-driven and episodic, structured around the subtle accumulation of moments that reveal a character's isolation. The central conflict is often internal—a struggle against ennui, disappointment, or a feeling of being out of step with life—rather than driven by external plot events. The journey is one of quiet reflection, not dramatic resolution.

Why These Movies?

These films are grouped together because they share a specific, meditative mood. They prioritize atmosphere and emotional realism over plot, using a slow pace and bittersweet tone to explore themes of disconnection. The focus is on creating a deeply empathetic, sometimes sobering, portrait of the human condition.

Bittersweet ensemble dramas like Another Year

Stories about friends navigating contentment and crisis in later life.Find more movies like Another Year that feature groups of middle-aged friends. These similar drama films explore marriage, aging, and friendship with a bittersweet feel and moderate complexity, perfect if you enjoy character-driven stories about the joys and sorrows of everyday life.

bittersweetcontemplativetendersoberingautumnalmiddle agefriendshipeveryday life

Narrative Summary

These stories often use an ensemble structure to weave together contrasting lives, typically focusing on a central, stable anchor (like a long-married couple) surrounded by friends grappling with loneliness or dissatisfaction. The plot is driven by character interactions and reunions rather than a single goal, unfolding across a significant period to emphasize the passage of time and the persistence of certain struggles.

Why These Movies?

Movies in this thread are connected by their focus on a specific life stage (middle age) and a narrative structure that compares different paths. They share a balanced emotional palette—neither overly bleak nor saccharine—and a moderate complexity that arises from interwoven character arcs. The pacing is deliberate, allowing the audience to sink into the characters' worlds.

Unlock the Full Story of Another Year

Don't stop at just watching — explore Another Year in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Another Year is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

Another Year Summary

Read a complete plot summary of Another Year, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

Another Year Summary

Another Year Timeline

Track the full timeline of Another Year with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

Another Year Timeline

Another Year Spoiler-Free Summary

Get a quick, spoiler-free overview of Another Year that covers the main plot points and key details without revealing any major twists or spoilers. Perfect for those who want to know what to expect before diving in.

Another Year Spoiler-Free Summary

More About Another Year

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about Another Year: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

More About Another Year

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