"The Constant Gardener"

It is a fact that all works of art, including those pertaining to the movie, music and entertainment industry have always been underpinned by a universal salient factor, and this being human nature. In the movie industry, romance, action packed, murder mysteries, religious, science fiction, crime busters and horror movies as different genres of movies, all delve on the reality and essence of human nature. The movie The Constant Gardener is therefore not an exception as it presents a diplomat in unrelenting quest to unravel the mystery that enshrouded his wife’s death. The movie is a drama film that was directed by Fernando Meirelles, and was released in 2005 by Simon Channing-Williams as the producer.  This movie is based on the 2001 novel, The Constant Gardener by John le Carre.

At the heart of the movie is a Justin Quayle, a shy and low profile British diplomat who falls in love with and marries Tessa, an outspoken humanitarian activist who successfully urges him to a life in Kenya. Together wither driver, Tessa is murdered at a crossroads before her colleague Arnold Bluhm, initially the prime suspect to the murder. Spurred on by the determination to demystify his wife’s death, he happens upon a rogue drug corporation using Kenya’s population to fraudulently test TB drug, dypraxa which is known to have rippling effects on human beings. Piecing the accrued information together, Justin happens upon an influential ring comprising a German pharmaceutical NGO, corrupt politicians in the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office and an African aid station.

It is a fact that this movie thoroughly reflects St. Augustine’s standpoint of human nature. To him, human nature is “corrupted, deeply wounded, altered, mutable, disorderly, weak and given to concupiscence, parochial, naturally born guilty and one that is totally devoid of grace, as a result of Adam’s sin”. That this movie is a reflection of St. Augustine’s standpoint is a matter well underscored by the convoluted chain of corruption that links the German pharmaceutical NGO, corrupt politicians in the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office and an African aid station, all ganged up for selfish gain. The selfishness and evil of this cohort is well seen in their readiness to conduct harmful tests of the powerful but destructive TB drug, dypraxa on African population in a manner that is clandestine, having known only too well that the drug has the ability to not only cause multiple TB mutations, but to also cause massive deaths. The fact that this circle does not even fall short of murdering Tessa in order to cover up and consolidate their corrupt deeds, is a matter that well underscores the corrupt and moral rot they harbor. This is totally in line with St. Augustine’s indictment against human nature.

Similarly, that The Constant Gardener is in total concomitance with St. Augustine’s proposition of human nature as one that is inherently inquisitive (and given to curiosity) is a matter well supported by Justin’s unrelenting quest to unravel the mysterious circumstances under which his wife was calculatingly murdered. Justin even lays aside his well paying job; impersonates identity; and traverses different countries to achieve this feat that is too esoteric to the police themselves.