Allelujah * * ½

Well it's full of old people so I thought this would be right up my alley.  

Actually, as it turns out,  most of the cast are bit older than me.  But it did give me some insight into what I have to look forward to in a few years - and that didn't make me feel real good I have to say!

However that's not the reason why I didn't much like Allelujah. It's just a bit of a mess.  It plods along for quite a while as we get to know the patients in this "last stop" Yorkshire hospital.  We learn it is run by a tyrannical, but seemingly very caring and dedicated, senior nurse.  It also has a doctor of Sri Lankan background who works tirelessly. 

Time for your meds, Mr. Reviewer.

Patients are dropping off the perch regularly which is what you'd expect in a hospital for the aged.  But there is something fishy going on. 

One of the patients is an old coal miner who goes on about how Maggie Thatcher shut the mines.  (I don't know if anybody stops to think, but the same people who protested about closing the coal mines in the 1980's would be on the streets again today, insisting that they be closed.  Somewhat ironic. Anyhow.)

The son of the miner is a public servant ready to do his masters bidding in a brutal overhaul of the NHS.  But seeing Dad in a small hospital and the care he is receiving from the staff he begins to reconsider that perhaps small isn't bad and perhaps not everything should be amalgamated into bigger institutions. 

Trouble is, it goes on some kind of weird and angry rant about this and turns the head nurse into a psychopath who thinks she can play God; which actually makes you worry about the stuff people can get away with in smaller institutions. Kind of undermines it's own argument there. Also, drawing an analogy with shutting the mines in the 80's isn't really persuasive.  

I don't know  It's all over the place.  Wait until you see the last ten minutes.  It goes nuts. It's like one of those crazy, "scare the shit out of you" TV ads.

I think Allelujah has got something important to say, but like all arguments, a reasoned and balanced one would have more likely won me over.