The Constant Gardener

"Love. At any cost."

2005 2h 9m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

🍅

83%

FRESH

💯

METACRITIC

⭐

7.3

IMDB

★7.0TMDB · 1,777🍅83%Rotten Tomatoes●82Metacritic★7.3IMDB · 152,681

DramaMysteryThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Justin Quayle is a low-level British diplomat who has always gone about his work very quietly, not causing any problems. But after his radical wife Tessa is killed he becomes determined to find out why, thrusting himself into the middle of a very dangerous conspiracy.

“Love. At any cost.”

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Cast

Ralph Fiennes
Justin Quayle
Rachel Weisz
Tessa Quayle
Danny Huston
Sandy Woodrow
Bill Nighy
Sir Bernard Pellegrin
Pete Postlethwaite
Lorbeer
Richard McCabe
Arthur Hammond
Donald Sumpter
Tim Donohue
Juliet Aubrey
Gloria Woodrow

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Fernando Meirelles
Writers: Jeffrey Caine
Languages: German, English, Italian, Swahili
Countries: Germany, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Kenya

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 3.3× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 21 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 4 languages: German, English, Italian, Swahili.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 4 countries: Germany, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Kenya.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

252+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Fernando Meirelles, shot by César Charlone. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Alberto Iglesias. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Claire Simpson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Fernando Meirelles directs. César Charlone behind the camera. Alberto Iglesias scores. Claire Simpson cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in Germany, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Kenya. Dialogue in German, English, Italian, Swahili.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 3.3× over at the box office.
2Released 21 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 4 languages: German, English, Italian, Swahili.
4International production across 4 countries: Germany, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Kenya.
5252+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
6Directed by Fernando Meirelles, shot by César Charlone. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Alberto Iglesias. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Claire Simpson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz and Danny Huston carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "Love. At any cost.".
11IMDB entry: tt0387131 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Classified under 13 themes, including "diplomat", "aids", "rwandan genocide", "politician".