Allelujah Review

Allelujah is a dramedy based on a play by Alan Bennett. This film focuses on the staff and patients in a small hospital in Yorkshire.

The Bethlehem, or as it is known to the locals, “The Beth”, is a small geriatric hospital in Wakefield. It’s loved by the patients and the community but is under threat of closure because of its size. Within the hospital is a variety of characters, including Dr. Valentine (Bally Gill), a young doctor who loves the elderly, Sister Gilpin (Jennifer Saunders) who has served at The Beth for 20 years, Colin Colman (Russell Tovey), an advisor to a government minister and visiting his estranged father,  Joe (David Bradley), and Ambrose (Derek Jacobi), a cantankerous patient who just wants to leave the hospital.

Alan Bennett is one of the most famous and prolific writers in the UK. He s has won many awards and many of his works are known for having a sly wit and a Yorkshire setting. Allelujah seems to follow that mould since it was set in Yorkshire, many of the characters were proudly Northern, and the dialogue was at times funny. Jacobi was a scene stealer since he had some of the funniest lines in the film since his character wanted to be anyway else.

Allelujah was advertised as a light comedy-drama and it was targeted toward an older audience. The audience I was with was on the older side. Considering the subject matter, it did feel weird watching with an audience who could think about their ailing health and mortality, similar to what happened with the Bill Nighy film Living. Death was ever-present in the film as people were of an age where their health could turn and they could die in their sleep. It added a bit of pathos to the film.

Allelujah was an ensemble piece, it was more about the characters and their interactions. Many of the characters had their own issues and arcs. Colin was slowly reconciling with his father, Sister Gilpin was having to battle the NHS bureaucracy, whilst Andy (Louis Ashbourne Serkis) was forced to do work experience at the hospital and slowly gains empathy for the patients. The film was more focused on the characters rather than the plot.

Bennett was focused on the character interactions. There was a clash between Joe and Colin. Joe was a proud Yorkshireman, Colin left Yorkshire to work In London, Colin was openly gay whilst his dad was a traditional working-class man, and Colin worked as an advisor for a Conservative government and his dad was a part of the miners’ strike in the 1980s. Added to this the film was looking at the issues the NHS was facing. Every morning Sister Gilpin had to find space at care houses and other hospitals so she could admit new patients, and Dr. Valentine and the hospital management were arguing that The Beth could offer more personal care, whilst Colin represented the government who believed in targets and efficiency.

However, Allelujah had issues. Due to the film having so many characters the story was slight and Allelujah was unfocused as it tried to give all these characters screen time. Judi Dench was wasted in her role as one of the patients. Dr. Valentine provided a wistful voiceover throughout the film as he spoke of his love for the elderly and it did get annoying as the film progressed.

The worst aspect of the film was a twist that came at the end of the second act. It seemed so out of place and more fitting for a thriller than a dramedy. There was some foreshadowing, but it didn’t make the revelation any more palatable.

Allelujah had an excellent cast and some chuckle-worthy moments, but this wasn’t enough to overcome the anaemic plot and bizarre twist that undermined the message it was sending.