Allelujah

In cinemas now

This big screen adaptation of Alan Bennett’s play has all the ingredients needed for a slice of feelgood British cinema, but its narrative is far too misshapen to deliver it. Despite the humorously dry Northern stylings of said playwright and the presence of a stellar ensemble cast, Allelujah fails to settle on a definitive tone and ultimately makes for an oddly unaffecting viewing experience.

Directed by Richard Eyre, a veteran of British theatre, and written by Heidi Thomas (of Call the Midwife fame), the film is centred on the geriatric ward of a hospital that is threatened with impending closure but, despite its failings, is cherished by its local community. Given the ongoing threat that is posed to the NHS by the current Conservative government, such a premise feels both timely and essential and yet, aside from its impassioned closing monologue, this picture fails to do the topic justice.

This is due largely to the volume of competing narratives that are contained within its narrative. Whether it is the odd-but-endearing father and son dynamic shared by Russell Tovey and David Bradley’s characters, or the respective arcs of Jennifer Saunders’ experienced nurse and Bally Gill’s South Asian doctor, there is ultimately too many undercurrents in play to ever feel truly gripped by the overarching story. This is despite a late-in-the-day twist involving Saunders’ character that is so unexpected it feels rather ridiculous, regardless of its severity.     

But perhaps chief amongst Allelujah’s crime is its bizarre relegation of both Derek Jacobi and Judi Dench to unimportant side characters, a flagrant waste of acting royalty.