Ellene Choi

Professor Estes
August 12, 2014


Film Analysis
The Constant Gardener (2005)

In the verb gardening, there is an action that is implied within the word. Between the
gardener and the plants, there is an action of control. The gardener takes care of the plants to
maintain the garden under good condition using unnatural substances, such as pesticides and
fertilizers. The Constant Gardener is a metaphor of the unhealthy conict between the controller
and the controlled. The relationship is socially and politically constructed under a form of
hierarchy. Constant control within the hierarchical structure, the rebellious outliers are punished.
With the political and social pressure upon the oppressed, there isnt a complete freedom of
choice.
Referring to a previous reading of de Beauvoir, the power relation between Britain and
Kenya can be referred to the relationship between the one and the other. As the one, British
pharmaceutical companies own the power to give instructions and cherish the other, Africans, for
following. The consequences are not desirable for the other, since the one was using the Africans
as a research method for the new drugs. In extension to this, de Beauvoir argues that women, as
the other, are lost in the masculine society. Coming back to the context of the movie, Britain
overrules Kenya with the unquestionable power. Testing new medications on Africans by
rationalizing as a treatment to cure, it represents how much immorality ones selshness can lead
to. As seen, the system is constructed solely upon the ones interest, not particular in the interest
1 FILM ANALYSIS
of curing illness of the Africans in Kenya. The reason why revealing this immoral procedure of
testing drugs is critical for the pharmaceutical companies is because men[the one] prot in
many more subtle ways from the otherness, the alterity of woman[the other] (p.8, de Beauvoir).
The system is benecial for the superior, that no alterations is ideal despite the moral ignorance.
Knowing the fact that they are blinded by the empowerment of control, it numbs the senses to
value life comparing to monetary benets. No matter what the system will still be ruled by the
one, and the other has to remain quiet to be in favor of the superior. This leads to the same cycle
for the superior to have a easier way to use as much as moral and self justication to conceal the
guilt. The desire to justify is mentioned in the reading that whether it is a matter of sex or race,
the methods of justications are the same (p. 7). Under the destined control of the British,
Tessa was the channel for the oppressed Africans to express frustration from the lack of freedom.
Until Tessa questions, the testing strategies of pharmaceutical companies have been
naturally justied The process is perceived as natural within the social structures, under the logic
of everything come with a price. The social impact on self justication is theorized by Lorber in
the context of gender that everyone does gender without thinking about it (p. 54, Lorber). At
the same time, Lorber argues that Individuals are born sexed but not gendered (p. 57, Lorber),
therefore there shouldnt be any assumptions or prejudice. Despite the argument, the reality still
holds expectations and limits to each roles. The superior provides a source of protection and life,
in contrast the inferior giving respect to the superior. If only the actions were interpreted
disregarding the intentions, this would be true. The movie shows two different examples that is
classied to be social and political examples. The British pharmaceutical companies provide
medications to the African patients in Kenya with no monetary price. Justin provides Tessa access
to High Commission and other connections to the pharmaceuticals, as well as the privilege of
2 FILM ANALYSIS
continuing her career in Kenya. The problem to this is that it is all described in the perspective of
the superior. The dominant gure has the power to sculpt, interpret, and manipulate the history.
The description of expectations even has an arrogant and egoistic tone. De Beauvoir interprets
this desire of the superior as The religions invented by men[man-made cultures], reect this
wish for domination (p. 6, de Beauvoir). The point of view will remain justied unless the
intentions are revealed. After Tessas death, all the truths started to uncover. Although Justin was
the gure of protection, Tessa kept the research to herself to protect Justin from danger. At the
funeral, the corrupted intentions of the medical treatments by pharmaceutical industry were not
mainly focused on curing the illness, but for research purposes of the new product. Tessa as a
form of connection and a channel of communication, her presence itself was threatening to the
social structure.
Tessa has faced death after breaking the social role as an inferior, which is to keep quiet and
follow. Breaking the stereotypes, the unspoken rule, is not acceptable in a society because
gender[social roles] is one of the major ways that human beings organize their lives (p.55,
Lorber). The social roles were constructed for a reason, which was to divide different status to
manipulate the system in favor of the superior. Kimmel mentions that manhood[success] as a
transcendent tangible property that each man[superior] must manifest in the world (p.81,
Kimmel). The context was meant to say that the roles are socially constructed not destined, but
the reality is the mixture of both. This sentence already implies as if success is a possession that
only the superior can manifest in the world. That it is not a feasible goal for the inferiors to reach
or even dream of. Although the society claims to have no lines, there are limits to what you can to
desire to possess. By publishing a research, Tessa was viewed as breaking boundaries to transition
into the state of a superior. According to Kimmels denition of success, the research by Tessa
3 FILM ANALYSIS
was the required proof and evidence to reveal the contradiction and corruption in the Great
Britain. Revealing the corruption was the forbidden success that forced Tessa to an ultimate
silence death. After her death, her work didnt disappear or evaporate into the air. At the end,
the cousin reveals the tragedy that was kept hidden during the funeral. There were camera
ashes, troubled facial expressions, but no denitive signs of closing down or enforcing laws
according to the issue. The industry and the commission was too afraid of the loss than the
actual impact it would receive. Kimmel theorizes this as the feeling of men who were raised to
believe themselves entitled to feel that power, but do not feel it (p. 91, Kimmel). It is because the
expectations for the superior themselves are so high, that what they have now doesnt seem close
to the ultimate goal. As we commonly say, it is seeing the glass half empty.
According to this argument, the desire of dominance and control is a highly dangerous
desire that messes with moral judgements. One of the quotes in the movie says, these lives are so
cheaply bought, which not only counts the lives of Africans used as test objects but also the lives
just to t in. People who had to ignore their moral values and hide personal desires just to t into
the social expectations. The system doesnt only punish the inferior but the superiors who
construct the system can be also suffocated by it. Bringing back the logic in the beginning, is it
true that everything comes with a price? Or is it the system that enforces this logic?
4 FILM ANALYSIS