Coming of age saga about a young, British boy named Edward (Bill Milner) whose parents (Anne-Marie Duff, David Morrissey) who run a retirement facility out of their home. Their latest tenant, Clarence (Michael Caine), is a cantankerous former magician who just wants to be left alone who somehow still manages to form an unlikely friendship with the death-obsessed 10-year-old.

CRITIQUE

Wonderful little import that received a cursory theatrical release last year and proves to be a splendid star vehicle for Caine, Is Anybody There? is the kind of quiet British drama hard to find fault with. The characters are all three dimensional, the family dynamics all resonate and Clarence’s travails are born of real pain, heart and emotion. It is the kind of movie where each part comes together to form a satisfyingly moving and emotional whole, and those who don’t shed a tear or choke up even slightly are probably the same people who think strangling puppies or shooting kittens with a pellet gun is solid idea for a good time.

Not that I’m saying Peter Harness’ script should win any awards or that John Crowley’s (Boy A) direction is all that special, they’re not, but they are both still solid enough doing their respective jobs that the relative familiarity of the piece isn’t much of an issue. Edward’s story is told with restraint and intelligence, neither the script nor the direction pushing things too far or amplifying the energy up to a point where they would become annoying.

There’s not much else to say. The acting is universally excellent, young Milner giving a performance every bit as good as say Kodi Smit-McPhee was in The Road or Max Records was in Where the Wild Things Are. I also really liked Duff in this, the actress making her harried mother so wonderfully complicated yet deceptively straightforward she reminded me a lot of my relationship with my own mother. She had – she has – an innate ability to make things look as if they’re coming up roses pretty much at all times, yet unbeknownst to me the weight of the world was rolling over her shoulders she going out of her way to repair the damage without anyone knowing it was broken in the first place.

But this is Caine’s show, make no mistake. He’s just outstanding, building on a career of distinct and unique performances that rank as some of the best and most indelible ever put to film. His quiet, melancholic turn here not only recollects many of those but also stands on its own as something unique. It’s a wonderful bit of acting on Caine’s part, and while he won’t win any awards for it those who have adored the two-time Oscar-winner over the past four-plus decades definitely aren’t going to want to miss it.

THE VIDEO

Is Anybody There? is presented in 2.35:1/1080p and is nothing to complain about. Picture quality is clean and well defined, and colors are vibrant.

THE AUDIO

The film is presented in English 5.1 DTS-MD master audio with English SDH and Spanish subtitles.

THE EXTRAS

The only extras here are some decent Deleted Scenes and the Theatrical Trailer, neither of which are anything to crow about.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Is Anybody There? is a quiet, simple, melancholic and endearing coming of age winner with a wonderful performance by the typically outstanding Caine.