The Constant Gardener
To be honest I cannot exactly summarise the movie in a simple way because how beautiful the plot is. In my opinion, the playwriter is perfectly able to merge a balance point of view in which we cannot decided who to put blame for our angerness after watching the movie. However, to separate all the important aspects, there are important points here in which it started from how Tessa with her outspoken activism and motive is trying to take on an axis of evil corporate-government corruption without saying any word to her husband which eventually knows about it. Although the main point of the movie is between the character of Tessa and the husband, Justin, I think it is much wiser to include other characters as they are as important as those of Tessa and Justin.
Starting from Tessa, the best way to describe how Tessa is trying to take on her proclaimed enemy is when the donkey trying to fight the tyrannosaurus. It is basically impossible, but sometimes this small action usually is the first step that would enable change to take place. Spiritually, I feel very much connected to Tessa in certain ways. From how earnest she is towards something that she believes in as well as how clever she is on finding a way into something she is looking for. For example, it is demonstrated how clever she is on finding the easiest and fastest way to live in Africa in order to conduct her own investigation, by approaching Justin and let him fell for her in order for Justin to bring her with him. Another example is when Tessa wanted to read the letter sent by Pellegrin to Sandy in which Tessa supposed not to read. She seduced Sandy in order to give in for her to read the letter. In this case, I’m not sure if Tessa can be labeled as Femme Fatale as what she is after is something moral, such as enabling her to help her cause. As it is very cleared what Tessa wants is something lining with justice and helping the helpless. What is really important to be noted on Tessa’s character is her braveness. She is never afraid on questioning something that she believes is wrong and instead will always fight for it as long as she believes it is right.
Moreover, as I feel very much connected to the character of Tessa in term of stubbornness on how to reach our goals. Tessa is brave. No one can deny that. As simple as that, I was really impressed on Tessa’s first speech when she interrupted Justin on his boring lecture. I find it very connected in my personal behaviour whereas I have always behaved the way Tessa behave in term of speaking out our mind. What I’m referencing is the question Tessa asked to Justin during his lecture;
Tessa: “Sorry, I've just got one question: Whose map is Britain using when it completely ignores the United Nations and decides to invade Iraq? Or do you think it's more diplomatic to bend the will of a superpower and politely take part in Vietnam the Sequel?”
This question is very much something I have always had in my mind as well. My concern is very much connected to what Tessa concerned. However, in reality, not many people in this world I believe is interested to even talk about it. Moreover, the very sad thing about this question is that it is just a simple question, but the real meaning of the question makes the people feel annoyed even just to hear of it. It can be seen on how after Tessa asked the question, all people in the room leaves gradually. Even some tried to silence Tessa. Of course they were. Tessa was asking the question in London, the capital of one of the two leading countries that invaded Iraq in 2003. I will not elaborate on anything about the invasion of Iraq, but it clearly shows how the British are so ignorant to even admit that their great empire had done something brutally unnecessary. Ignorance is the best way to explain the British behaviour towards their own history, even the latest one in 2003, let alone their behaviour towards past colonialism, slavery, etc.
Moving on, what is important from Tessa is her legacy. Not only in term of her activism, but more on her impact towards her husband, Justin. Although she is brave and does not afraid of anything, instead, she is weak in front of her husband. Maybe this is why the love between Justin and Tessa is pure. Both did not expect anything, instead, they just fell for each other.
In the story of Justin, he is just a successor of Tessa’s work, without being instructed, he tried to understand what and why Tessa is hiding her work from him. However, what impressed me the most is the change implied on Justin. He does not change completely but instead his view into the world started to slightly change from realistic into idealistic enough to make a resemblance to Tessa. This can be seen when Justin was trying to help a girl he unexpectedly reiterated Tessa’s remark remembering his own ignorance on helping a helpless boy. To understand more here is what Tessa told him during their conversation;
Justin Quayle: [Tessa tells Justin to slow down, wanting to drive a woman, her baby, and her brother who are walking 40 km back to his home] We can't involve ourselves in their lives, Tessa.
Tessa Quayle: Why.
Justin Quayle: Be reasonable. There are millions of people, they all need help. It's what the agencies are here for.
Tessa Quayle: Yeah, but these are three people that WE can help.
After Justin changes;
[Aid workers are being airlifted from a village ahead of band of raiders. Justin brings aboard a local village girl]
Jonah Andika: I'm sorry, I can't take the girl.
Justin Quayle: I'm not leaving her!
Jonah Andika: We're only allowed evacuate aid workers.
Justin Quayle: This is a child's life! There are no rules to cover that!
Jonah Andika: Look, there are thousands of them out there. I can't make an exception for this one child
Justin Quayle: Yes, but THIS is one we can help!
What is really important from Justin is how important Tessa’s life into his own. Justin changes dramatically in term of understanding life, remembering the fact that before there was Tessa in his life, I believe that he has the least compassion towards the helpless people. His role can be reflected to the character of British people however, in which they are too blind to see what is in front of their eyes. Once the heart is shaken, their empathy began to shows. But in Justin, different to Tessa who wanted to take down the drug trial so it would not proceed unnecessary victim, Justin instead chose love over Tessa’s legacy. He did not intend to take down the companies or the corrupt alliance of government, he chose to follow his love. Nothing else needed to say about his decision because of their pure love.
———
There will be a critique that if seen even from two perspectives, each will still biased. First, from the perspective of the African, they will claimed that the movie will is the typical Hollywood movie in which providing the white people as the saviour of African. However, this movie is not the case. It is clearly the story is not that typical because the main point is to pointing out the evil in which revolved around the complicity between corrupt government and for-profit company. Not only the story provides the typical African corrupt government, it also exposes how even the British government complicit in the most cynical way in order to profit from the deal.
The sad thing for me to watch is actually how different the method of corruption taken by each government. For example, it was clearly stated how an official from Kenyan government is easily bribed by the pharmaceutical company in order to approve the trial in its own country for the sake of $50.000 USD. The sad thing does not even stop there, the typical official usually will use the money for its own interest such as buying him a new car or a house or anything that suits him, without even have any thought about how he should instead make himself useful as an official. Not even care about the prosperity of his own people. In this case, I’m speaking not only against the Kenyan government, but more into the typical corrupt country such as mine, Indonesia. In this case, it is not new or even surprised me if this kind of story derived from a real life case.
To be honest, this kind of corruption is very easy to find in my own country. Growing up, my father has influenced me greatly with this kind of thinking. I grew up in a region where for three consecutive governor each ended up getting jailed for corruption. Even for the last governor, he was the most shameless politician out of the three because not only he caught up being corrupted, he also practiced nepotism by putting his many relatives into his own cabinet. This kind of behaviour does not really surprised me anymore because the problem for this is mostly because of the loose rule of law, inability of the counter-corrupt institutions, as well as the politically-passive citizen. I would say the last reason would be the most crucial entity in term of my country because as I observed, my own people tend to be less concern about public affair.
This politically-passive behaviour, from my own experience, is based heavily on how society grow. This kind of society taught the people that the government is unreliable. This unreliableness usually starts with poor quality in terms of providing services, procedures, and benefits such as no free healthcare, limited retired funds, poor education system, and so many more. For the most part, because of the lacking in interference for the benefit of the people, the people itself tend to be independent and does not trust the government. The people tend to think that they can provide themselves without interference of the government.
Another reason why the government is so unreliable is because of the constant corruption. The kind of corruption in Indonesia is very much alike to the African one, the cheapest way of corruption. This cheap corruption is the ‘blind’ one, where the comparison of damage to the personal interest is huge, where you can easily bribed by a small amount of money where the amount of damage is substantial. One small example from Indonesia that resembles to this case is what happen to the US company in Papua island. The US company is called Freeport where it focuses its venture on gold. When the story broke out to the public, I found the striking similarity to the Kenyan case. The similarity lies on how there was a bribing by the Freeport to Indonesian officials in order to approve the gold mining in Papua as well as when an corruption-counter official became a victim for trying to open up the corruption. From this point, it is very sad to admit that such movie story does happen in real life.
Moreover, from this point, I started to feel more pity for my own people because of this passive behaviour. But it is not their fault, maybe they are born with it. But no, it is not born with itself. This politically-active behaviour usually derived from an active society. As l have lived in Europe for almost a year now, I understand now how the society are so different. To describe it, I have to make a new essay. So let’s end that point here.
On the other hand, what happen in the Africa is not something to make us neglect the British. Even from the story, I can see that the British had the most selfish position. Not even mentioning the whole history of the evil things the British had done to Africa. Therefore, in this case, I will focus heavily on the axis of evil between Pellegrin, Sandy, and the British government. It, however, requires a detailed explanation in which I have to demonstrate by showing how Pellegrin, Sandy, and the British high commissioner all complicit on the sinful deal.
Pellegrin is a British official working for African desk in the Foreign Office of British government. From Justin inquiry, it can be understood how Pellegrin is the one who approves the joint venture between KDH and Three Bees. For a detailed analysis, the joint venture took place because KDH as a Swiss-Canadian company, before conducting a trial in Kenya, had invested its division in Wales where it employed about 15.000 people. Having grateful for the investment, Pellegrin enables KDH to cooperate with the Three Bees in order to conduct the trials for KDH’s Dypraxa. To what extend Pellegrin’s involvement with the corruption is unknown as the code of conduct in lobbying on UK is very much loose to the point where something supposed to be called corruption can be interchangeably with merely legal-lobbying.
Having found out how Tessa is trying to sabotage his own interest, Pellegrin decided to take on Tessa by himself before the axis of evil in which he is part of between his government, African government, and the corporations got exposed. In this way, he can protect his position as well as his interest. What is important here is how Pellegrin as part of an official makes him a politician as well, the problem lied when he invests himself in the corporate. In this point, the role of real politician to take care of civilians has been forgotten. But no, it is not forgotten. Pellegrin is actually just a simple example on how British politician works.
After having observed on how the British do politicians, their principle is simple. As long as the deal is advantageous only for British people, Brit politicians will justify its actions because they are acting on behalf of their people. But isn’t it just cruel and awful? No, if seen from British view as they are realistic enough that the world is very much like an animal world where the strongest survive. It is true. Only the strongest rule. We can see how London and English are ruling the world through its capitalistic system. I cannot elaborate in this essay though, however, Pellegrin’s action is justified enough because of its true portrayal of how British politicians work.
Similar to his superior, Sandy’s role is very much alike to Pellegrin in which both are devoted more into the wealthiness of their country instead of basic morality. Even I have my own question for this, is it because of different race or they just born with it? I really have no idea how the most double standard country like Britain can voice itself as the most virtue country in the world. Once again, I can’t help but elaborate on the British. To be honest, I do not hate the British for its action since there are positive and negative side of British role. But, how can we justify the genocide of American natives, Australian natives, in order for the capitalism exist in which all of us is taking part of this system and benefited from it.
Moving on to the role of Curtiss of the Three Bees, businessmen position have always confused me to an extend I cannot put my stance on whether to pro or con their position. As businessmen is part of the cycle of economics at a whole, their position is very crucial to the sustainability of economic life. However, because of this cruciality to economic life, their conduct has always been justified into which extend there is no limit for their conduct. In this context, my reference lies into big corporates such as the ones in the movie, KDH and Three Bees. Although both companies are fiction, they are just a simple example of how those kind of company works and makes profit. But this irony can be reflected very by Tessa’s cousin remarks on the ending. In which Ham though not literally stated that the great civilisation derive its greatness by sacrificing the live off the worthless.
Moreover, the movie also refers to the connection between Lorbeer and the UN Aid agencies. This is worth to talk about since they are very much true in reality. In my view, Lorbeer position is reflected to the conduct of UN Aid agencies. Such as something in the line with a redemption. Since UN Aid agencies is a division out of the bigger picture of UN organization, I can see that UN Aid agency is the redemption for the failing task of the bigger UN agency. Although, when created UN has its purpose to prevent the great war or any conflict to take place, UN has proved itself as the most unreliable organisation to deserve its role. Moreover, for its unreliability, UN works more extensively in the section of aiding the victims of conflict or war instead of its suppose prevention of conflict.
However, it is really hard to talk about this without involving the reality of preventing conflict. Since in reality world, prevention of conflict is very much lies on the ability of diplomacy skill of each party involved. In contrary for example, although most of the countries in the world are members of UN, the fact that UN General Assembly resolutions is not binding to its members only proving the inability of UN to do its primary purpose. On the other hand, the fact that resolutions created by the Security Council are binding is suspicious enough on giving out the impression of who is actually the ruling party in the UN. Of course, the winners of the Second World War; US, UK, France, China, and Soviet successor-Russia. They are the ones who self-mandate to control the world. But, the real problem lies itself on their own complex relationship, which prominently the relationship between US, UK, and France with Russia where their indifference has its impact by involving them into ‘subsequent’ second cold war, but unlike its predecessor of US and Soviet Union, their primary reason are not on the different ideology of economic aspect anymore. The fact that now US President, Donald Trump, has its view to Russia is difference to his predecessor will only give confusing view for analyst. But let’s end this topic here.
To make a connection between Lorbeer and UN Aid agencies is to understand Lorbeer’s position. Lorbeer, according to the story, is in fact a scientist that might be the creator of Dypraxa drug, which means that he is working for KDH. Although to be honest, I feel pity the most for his role because all he wants is actually for the success of his work in Dypraxa drug. However, after having seen the failing of his drugs on the trial, he chose to compensate for the lose of the unnecessary victims of his drug trial by living his own life into some kind of Jesus saviour in which he isolate himself in the rural Sudan to be its volunteer doctor. I would say however, that his role is very much alike to most scientist whose test subject are the ones who are unnecessary killed. These African subjects are very much alike to the Nazi Germany victims. All in the name of science experiment. Unlike Nazi Germany, Lorbeer knows his own guilt in which he tried to redeem itself. One quote from him when he was volunteering in Sudan however is worth to be remember for;
Lorbeer: “I only give the food to the women, Mr. Black. Women make the homes, men just make wars.”
To understand the movie is to understand Ham’s remark,
Ham: “So who has got away with murder? Not, of course, the British government. They merely covered up, as one does, the offensive corpses. Though not literally. That was done by person or persons unknown. So who has committed murder? Not, of course, the highly respectable firm of KDH Pharmaceutical, which has enjoyed record profits this quarter, and has now licensed ZimbaMed of Harare, to continue testing Dypraxa in Africa.
No, there are no murders in Africa. Only regrettable deaths. And from those deaths we derive the benefits of civilization, benefits we can afford so easily... because those lives were bought so cheaply.”
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