Allelujah

When a small geriatric hospital in Northern England is threatened with closure, the staff and patients rally together to try and save it. There might be a glimmer of hope with this task as the government consultant tasked with the final evaluation - "Colin" (Russell Tovey) has his estranged father " Joe" (David Bradley) in that self same facility. The place is run under the benignly imperious hand of "Sister Gilpin" (Jennifer Saunders) with Bally Gill's "Dr. Valentine" tending to their clinical needs. As you'd expect with Alan Bennett, this comes at you from the left of the political spectrum, and highlights what he sees as the short-termism of fiscally based decision making. To that end, Sir Richard Eyre has assembled a strong cast of formidable character actors to portray the patients. Most notable amongst them, for me, was Julia McKenzie and Bradley is also on great form as the curmudgeonly old gent coming to terms with his predicament and his successful, gay, son. There is plenty of dry humour, observational sarcasm to the fore and Saunders and Gill have quite a nice chemistry between them as they both strive to care for their elderly charges. I can't say that I loved the ending. It is thought provoking, but somehow seemed just a little over-dramatic and unnecessary. That said, though, the ensemble cast reminded me very much "Quartet" (2012) with strong leading characters and familiar faces at every turn helping to highlight the serious (and lighter) issues of the ageing process for both the older folks and for those charged with keeping them well. Not sure it really needs a cinema to enjoy, but it's still well worth ninety minutes.

Being UK based and over 60 years old I found this film a little to close to home and therefore so very powerful. It was funny, beautiful and so very sad. It was Alan Bennett all over. Everything was very small and beautifully presented. There was not an ounce of energy wasted, it was all perfectly placed. All the main characters had a tiny vignette which gave them enough of a back story to make them real people. The doctor was from a society that holds dear it's elderly and silently struggles to understand why his patients aren't held in the same high esteem. The film ends with the Doctors monolog praising the people of the NHS and so it should. A political piece, probably but more a piece about our attitudes to the elderly.

Do not get me wrong, the movie has funny bits and pieces, but I do not believe it is meant to be a funny movie. It is more a harsh reflection on healthcare and how we treat our elderly. But for me it did not get too dark, I also enjoyed it very much.

Jennifer Saunders really has grown as an actress I think. We know she can do funny, but in this more serious role she blossoms as well.

However, do you wanna watch because of dame Judy Dench, do not get your hopes up too much. She has a smaller part and for me a bit too small and on the side.

Overall, very well acted. If you are not English I recommend decent subtitles.

Maybe TIFF wasn't the best place to launch this very British film based on a play ?

The NHS ( National Health Service) is shown in a microcosm of political and cynical struggles in a small community hospital unit for old people needing special care.

It's very Alan Bennett, although with short but still cutting monologues , some are funnier than others but all serve a purpose.

The geriatric ward is the logical place to highlight the old and decrepit hospital system, fighting for survival at death's door, but there are more metaphors here, the NHS is killing people due to a lack of resources, most notably a shortage of beds, is there even a shortage of carers?.

Jennifer Saunders is great as the head nurse trying her best to keep a 'clean' ward, but working to targets for turnover of patients and moving them through the system comes at a heavy price, closure is imminent and her efficiency is not enough.

The doctor is stereotypical, an Asian immigrant with a nostalgic true vocational outlook to care for his patients with a hands on approach.

The patients are a who's who of British stalwart actors and they are very convincing as geriatrics, each representing the problems within the health care system. One patient's son happens to be a management consultant for the government's health minister and getting a personal experience of the hospital suggests the need for 'government' to understand the real world of this care in the community, rather than just facts and figures on spreadsheets, it's a political statement about how things are failing people by going for large scale centres of excellence?.

As a person with a lot of personal experience of the NHS and getting old too, I can relate to the representation if not actually recognise the geriatric care unit.

The film takes a risky turn or two near the end especially with a plea for support and understanding of the caring people who work in the NHS providing a public service, which is now underappreciated again post pandemic, although ironically with the recent strike action this has probably not helped their case.

This is bound to be a divisive film and some may be disappointed by it's change in tone from comedy to politics, especially if they don't understand the British system or the metaphors about it.

There are some plot twists you can see coming a mile off. There are many films where you know a twist is coming, even if you don't know what it'll be. Allelujah is a film where you don't realise there's going to be a twist t all, never mind one so vicious.

Set in a small, crumbling hospital earmarked for closure, and which mostly deals with geriatric patients, Allelujah starts out as a classic Little Guy vs Government Machine story. There's much that is poignant, and much that is comic and there are fine performances throughout, particularly from Jennifer Saunders, David Bradley and Derek Jacobi.

Then, just when the bureaucrat seems set for a big change of heart and the audience senses the feel-good ending, the rug's pulled out from under them completely. It's both devastating and unforgettable.

Dr Valentine's final piece to camera is magnificent, as he says the things that *need* to be said.