The Escape

Domestic bliss is a poor substitute for true happiness in this even-handed yet devastating drama about marital decay. Gemma Arterton plays downtrodden housewife Tara, who resides on the outskirts of London, living what she's told is a charmed life. Unstimulated by the monotony of the daily routine, Tara begins to feel the sadness overwhelm her at the school gates and longs for freedom. Her successful city-boy husband (Dominic Cooper) is loving enough but overworked, oblivious to Tara's needs, and bemused by her desire for something more. Delicately scored, heavily improvised and shot with fluidity and fly-on-the-wall intimacy by Laurie Rose, the film pays great attention to its protagonist's often wordless agony and Arterton thrives under the scrutiny and gives a beautifully nuanced performance that captures every doubt, disappointment and ache. Writer/director Dominic Savage draws out the cinematic potential of the trials of a seemingly unremarkable woman, whom many will relate to. As Tara considers taking flight from her family, The Escape establishes empathy with her predicament in a fine example of complex and compassionate film-making.