The Escape - Gemma Arterton shows turmoil in a 21st Century marriage

What do you do if your marriage and, in fact, whole life doesn't satisfy you anymore?
The EscapeThe Escape
The Escape

That’s the question at the heart of The Escape in which Gemma Arterton plays Tara, the mother of two young children and wife to a somewhat self-absorbed husband, Mark (played by Dominic Cooper).

As she’s told at one stage, they have everything - two kids, two cars, plenty of money and a nice house in suburban London (‘with a conservatory’).

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But a life of getting the children to school, food shopping and keeping the house tidy isn’t enough.

And her husband’s constant attention, when he’s not at work, is wearing.

So Tara makes a decision to ‘escape’ the life that’s grown up around her.

But this isn’t a slushy Hollywood movie where she finds the man of her dreams or falls into the perfect life.

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Director and writer Dominic Savage presents the emotional conflict in Tara and we are in no doubt that she is heading towards a big life choice.

Arterton is very good in the role and we can see the dilemma faced by Tara in all its raw emotion.

Dominic Cooper does manage to give us a husband who definitely believes in dominating a marriage and who doesn’t have the sensibility or intelligence really to understand what’s happening.

This is an impressive film that really makes you think about relationships and just what it means to be in one.

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However, I might have been even more convinced if it had been written and directed by a woman.

I do struggle to be 100% convinced about a movie that deals with how a woman or women feel and react when it’s brought to you by a man.

Film details: The Escape (15) 101mins - 3 out of 5 stars

Director: Dominic Savage

Starring: Gemma Arterton, Dominic Cooper, Frances Barber

Screening courtesy of Horsham Capitol