After appearing in more than one hundred films, Sir Michael Caine dropped his usual fee to star in the low budget Is Anybody There?, because it was the only screenplay he had ever read that made him cry.  Films about vital people experiencing aging and dementia tend to provoke that reaction. This film is somewhat predictable, but the magical setting and stellar performances by leads Michael Caine (Clarence) and young Bill Milner (Edward) turn what could be a clichéd tearjerker into a life affirming meditation on death and aging.

In 2006, magic was featured in The Illusionist and The Prestige (in which Michael Caine also appeared). This year, we have The Great Buck Howard and Is Anybody There?  No one is sure what accounts for this trend. Perhaps it is because (as screenwriter Peter Harness suggests) magic is a craft with a history or that isolated children are attracted to magic. Whatever the reason, Is Anybody There?, like The Great  Buck Howard, shows magicians as hardworking professionals who love their craft.

Young Edward lives with his mum (Anne-Marie  Duff) and dad (David Morrissey) in a seaside English town in the mid eighties. Times are tough, and his parents have converted their house into a nursing home to make ends meet. A nice surprise is that the film shows the owners and staff at the nursing home as caring and compassionate. Edward’s parents try to show him the benefits of living among the elderly, but Edward is lonely and unhappy, and dislikes sharing his parents and his home with this collection of annoying seniors.

Edward is not saddened by the frequent deaths in the house, but he becomes obsessively interested in the afterlife. When The Amazing Clarence reluctantly moves into the home, the two do not really take to each other. Clarence believes he should be on his own and Edward resents the intrusion. But Edward is soon intrigued by Clarence’s colorful van and his sleight of hand. The two slowly become friends, each the only friend the other has. Edward feels empowered at school by the magic tricks he learns from Clarence, and Clarence rediscovers his love of magic when teaching Edward.  This part of the film is the most enjoyable, although the audience knows what will eventually happen.

Is Anybody There? is, thankfully, nowhere near the downer that was 2006’s offering Away From Her. While that film was about the effect of Alzheimer’s on the patient and her loved ones, this film is about much more than that. Is Anybody There? is at its best during the small moments, helped by the deft direction of John Crowley. The scenes of Clarence indulging Edward’s passion for the supernatural (he often tries to contact the spirits, asking them if anybody is there) are fun, but also important to the story. Clarence gets to use his expertise to simulate ghosts, to the delight of Edward. The Amazing Clarence’s magic van is a throwback to another time, and you can practically smell the dust on those old magic tricks. The attention to detail used for the old magic props that Clarence has in storage enhances the power of the scene. The audience, along with young Edward, gets a glimpse of the man and the performer Clarence used to be, and Clarence is forced to confront the failures in his life.

While there are some minor subplots involving secondary characters, this film is really a two person drama. There has been some Oscar buzz about Caine in this role, and he deserves the attention. He is just nasty enough when he snarls at Edward after they first meet and refuses to accept his apology for a soccer ball gone astray.  When Clarence and Edward bond over magic, the thawing of their relationship is slow and realistic.  We can hear the tone of Clarence’s voice change when he speaks to Edward. Young Bill Milner is just as charming and affecting as he was in 2007’s Son of Rambow. He is completely believable as an angry boy when he scowls at the other residents. When his eyes light up and his smile widens at Clarence’s magic tricks, we see the boy’s vulnerability. He still believes in magic.

Both Caine and Milner worked enough with Magic Circle member (and consultant on the film) Scott Penrose to allow for plenty of close up shots of their hands. In these details is the heart of the film. We only need the look at their eyes and the expression on their faces to understand their growing relationship. As Clarence uses magic to help Edward embrace life, Edward grows up enough to take care of Clarence when he starts to deteriorate. The role reversal is painful to watch, but Caine and the filmmakers give Clarence dignity.

Screenwriter Peter Harness based much of the film on his own experiences growing up in the old age home his parents ran. Harness told Michael Caine that unfortunately, he did not have the experience of a magician coming into his life to cheer him up. But thanks to Michael Caine, we do get to have that experience.

Is Anybody There? Directed by John Crowley. With Michael Caine (Clarence), Bil Milner (Edward), David Morrissey (Dad) and Anne-Marie  Duff (Mum). Big Beach, 2008.

 Gail sees a movie appears every Wednesday.

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