Expected more

A waste of 90 minutes of my life

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

The Cement Garden is based on a book by Ian McEwan and follows a group of siblings as they try to cope with the loss of their parents. However, there is much more to this film than merely the basic plot outline; through interesting character design, surreal locations and a gentle stream of shocking happenings; writer-director Andrew Birkin has created a truly unique and fascinating piece of cinema. Of all the films I have seen, I can't think of a single one that is really anything like this one. The film takes place in and around an isolated house surrounded by concrete (presumably on the edge of a town). The house is inhabited by two adults and four children; until the father dies of a heart attack, and the mother's health deteriorates until her eventual death shortly thereafter. This then leaves the four children to fend for themselves. The eldest siblings, Julie and Jack, decide to hide the mother's body in the basement rather than allowing themselves to go into care. The event affects each of the children in different ways.The Cement Garden is characterised by its setting; a large and morose house stands amidst a landscape made purely of concrete. This location serves the story as it creates isolation and separates the central family from the rest of the population. The film's colour scheme is based on grey and the gloominess of it helps to enforce the melancholy nature of the story. The film features plenty of shocks and breaks many taboos; but everything is presented in such a gentle manner that most of things featured actually seem quite normal, and that in turn makes them even more shocking. The film really is quite daring, and even more so for the fact that the central cast is so young. The dialogue can be quite awkward at times but the actors make the best of it. The film does become more surreal as it moves along, and while the ending of the film is not really a surprise; it still does manage to provide a shock. Overall, The Cement Garden is an excellent adaptation and well worth a look.

The Cement Garden is a remarkable film which establishes itself as first among dark classics. Filmed in black and white, it's stark sexual imagery and brutal realism is both disturbing, and equally powerful in it's subtle erotic message. The story relates what can happen when parents unexpectedly abandon their emotionally deprived, and woe-fully neglected children superbly played by Andrew Robertson as Jack and Charlotte Gainsbourg as Julie. With their parents dead, it is the older sister and the sexually curious younger brother who adjust to the certainties of social rules and regulations which demand the dissolution of the disintegrating family. Faced with the social erasure of their tiny family, Jack and Julie assume the role of parents. However, their acceptance promotes sexual privileges and not parental responsibilities. Eventually, the older sister's involvement with an admirer threatens their secret but developing illicit relationship. All in all, this film is exquisitely constructed to elicit the deepest emotions within all of us. ****

I saw this on Filmfour last night, and thought it was quite interesting. Do not wanna give away too much spoilers, but basically both parents in a family die, and the kids decide to make a go of it on their own. You are not given much hints as to the passage of time, but you can see the house, and the garden from the title, falling into greater disrepair. None of the kids have jobs, so you wonder how they are surviving. And through it all a series of bizarre events and things they would not get up to with their parents around happen. There are also a few elements of escapism, for instance cuts to grainy 1970's-looking cinecam film of the family in happier days at the seaside, and the (beautiful) main character (i will also add you get to see him topless and naked a lot..heh) reading a sci-fi story book, which is narrated out loud by the kind of voice that would have been used for old "Flash gordon" episodes. All else i can really say is SEE IT!Tally: Sex: 6/10 (quality not quantity!), Drugs: 0/10, Rock 'n roll: 2/10, Classic cars: 6/10 (see sex), Zombies: 0/10, Gore: 0/10

It's a real pity that 'Name Of The Rose' scriptwriter Andrew Birkin hasn't directed anything since 'The Cement Garden' if this puzzling and disturbing movie is any indication of his talent. Birkin also wrote this superb adaptation of Ian McEwan's perverse and haunting novel. A hypnotic study of a family of children left to fend for themselves, while wrestling with their forbidden desires and obsessions, it crosses over into almost Ballardian territory. The casting of Andrew Robertson and Charlotte Gainsbourg as the androgynous older siblings is the main reason why this odd movie is so successful. To add to the incestuous overtones, Gainsbourg is Birkin's niece, and first gained notoriety duetting with her legendary father Serge on a pop ditty titled "Lemon Incest" while barely in her teens. The layers continue by Birkin casting his own son Ned as the younger cross-dressing brother. This is a very strange and beautiful movie. Highly recommended.