What makes Jim Broadbent such a phenomenal actor? It�s a question not easily answered, but certainly worth consideration. Is it his notable appearances in blockbusters like Moulin Rouge!, Bridget Jones�s Diary or this summer�s fourth Indiana Jones movie?
While always solid support, I�d argue the English actor�s real presence has instead been made with roles in more independently-spirited films like his Oscar-winning turn in Iris, Topsy-Turvy or, perhaps, most recently as eccentric patriarch Arthur Morrison in the touching drama When Did You Last See Your Father?
In the memoir-based film, Broadbent plays the father of acclaimed author Blake Morrison (Colin Firth). After discovering Arthur has a terminal illness, Blake returns to take care of his family while dealing � primarily in flashbacks � with painful memories of his difficult, possibly duplicitous dad.
�I had a sort of head start in knowing about the character I suppose,� Broadbent said while promoting the film in Toronto. �I identified with it as a son of a father and also as a son whose father died in similar circumstances; of cancer, at home, with all the family around.�
The drama is an intelligent, well-crafted tearjerker that explores the complexities of family life.
�(Father and son relationships) are never as simple as sometimes made out,� Broadbent points out. �There is always an awful lot of grey area.�
That �grey area� is exactly what gives this film its emotional impact. While not a clearly dubious character, Arthur does have a quality that has emotionally tortured his son. As director Anand Tucker explains, it�s a subtlety only a pro like Broadbent could have portrayed.
�(Broadbent) manages to be that slightly monstrous, terrible, overbearing creature that Blake gets more and more angry and feels more and more betrayed by,� explains Tucker. �Then at the key moment at the end of the movie, (he) turns it all around and suddenly you realize that he is the father who just loved his son.�
Perhaps the real reason to appreciate Jim Broadbent is best expressed by Tucker, who says, �he can take you on a journey with a character you think is quite difficult and yet you still end up loving him.�
Ah, I think my question was just answered.
>> Read Metro's review on When Did You Last See Your Father?
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