Everyday

British director Michael Winterbottom opted to shoot Everyday—centered on a Scottish family coping with the absence of an incarcerated father—during two-week periods over a five-year stretch. Unfortunately, the experimental back story is the only genuinely interesting aspect of this otherwise mundane drama. Ian (John Simm) is serving time for a drug charge (the specifics are unclear), leaving his wife, Karen (Shirley Henderson), with the tough task of raising their four children (all played by real-life siblings). In order to keep the family intact, Karen is forced to work a series of menial jobs. Occasional prison visits illustrate how Ian's relationship changes with his wife and children, and when Ian is allowed to make a trip home (late in his sentence), he witnesses the permanent disruption created by his absence. The film's slow pacing and low-key approach lend it a sense of documentary-style realism, but the heavy Scottish accents are often indecipherable and the acting is too restrained to make any genuine emotional impact. While Everyday's heart may be in the right place, many viewers will need to muster a lot of patience before reaching the mild payoff. Optional. (P. Hall)