Review: the Constant Gardener

For most types of businesses, there are certain important films you should see... stockbrokers should watch "Wall Street", geneticists should watch "Gattaca", teachers should watch "Circle of Dead Poets", etc. Not necessarily because they are always amazing movies (though that is a bonus!), but because they portray the glories and pitfalls of the profession and allow someone outside your field to have a basic understanding of your work - even though it can be quite caricatural.

For the work I do, "The Constant Gardener" is as close as I've seen. It's a dark movie about how a big pharmaceutical company exploits Kenyan patients in risky medical experiments. It's cynical, understated (not least because of one of the true masters of the understated, Ralph Fiennes). It's not always a clear-cut issue who the big bad guy is, which is one of the strengths of the movie: indeed, it paints a picture of huge companies or governments where the blame is shared by a lot of individuals who in small ways contribute to the big picture of the problem.

As a clinical research associate, my job is to prevent this type of abuse on innocent patients. It is our job to make sure that they are informed of the research, aware of what treatment they are receiving, well taken care of by their doctor - even if they don't want to participate in research. In Sweden I might not be on the frontlines of preventing the events in "Constant Gardener", but in my small way, I feel I'm contributing to the solution.

The film itself is good, well acted, beautifully directed. Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz are great in the leads, and my favourite "creepy Brit" Bill Nighy as always steals the show in whatever scene he's in. And the plot is intriguing and exciting as any thriller should be.

Grade: 4/5
Better than: Mission Impossible 2
Not as good as: Last King of Scotland