Love Actually - Version Z

Richard Curtis’ film, ‘Love Actually’, follows many relationships in the five weeks running up to Christmas, in London, England. It tackles issues such as infidelity, parental love, lovers of different ages, lovers who can’t speak the same language, lovers from different social classes, young love, lust, unconditional love, mourning the death of a loved one and how opposites very often attract!

One of the most impressive aspects of this film is its ability to make you laugh out loud one minute, and then well up with tears the next. The scenes between Daniel (Liam Neeson), and his step son Sam (Thomas Sangster) are incredibly well written and very moving. Daniel’s wife, (Sam’s mother), has just died leaving Daniel to be a single parent to eleven year old Sam. Raising Sam as a single step father proves to be the exact tonic he needs to get through his wife’s’ death. The bond between the step father and son blossoms throughout the film as they plan how Sam can win over Mia, the love of his life. This storyline is captivating as it is heart wrenching and leaves you reassessing your priorities in life.



'Love Actually' is the first film that Richard Curtis has directed in addition to having written it. Perhaps this explains why it feels so personable and touches the audience deeply… Curtis was able to express the precise purpose of each scene by directing his writing, perhaps giving greater depth to the piece than if it had been directed by someone else.

Some critics have frowned upon the fact that there are twenty lead characters in this film, and with that, that there are numerous plots which are only very loosely intertwined. Its advocates would argue that this is the very beauty of the film - the movie is more about the characters and their personal experiences with love, than it is about a complicated, long evolving plot.

The many story lines evolve throughout the film. It is very interesting watching how Curtis has played with different social classes, ages and cultures, highlighting the fact that unltimately we are all the same – we all have the ability to fall in love, we all have the ability to care for others and show compassion for one another, and we all fear during some point in our life that we will never find true love or that we are in some way inadequate to the one we love. ‘Love Actually’ explores the different types of love and highlights the fact that all love can be challenging, and raises the ultimate question – is love always worth fighting for?



The film uses a slew of the most talented and highly acclaimed British actors, including Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth, Alan Rickman, Keira Knightley and Rowan Atkinson. While having the likes of Hugh Grant and Colin Firth surely helped to publicise the film, but it was also a great starting point for the younger Thomas Sangster. All the characters in the film are very well executed and well developed, allowing the audience to empathise with each and every lead character.