Is Anybody There?
A lonely boy in an English retirement home finds an unexpected guide to living through his friendship with a rebellious retired magician.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- wistful
- melancholic
- gentle
- reflective evening
- quiet weekend
What critics said
Critics generally found the film a compassionate, occasionally uneven coming-of-age drama elevated by Michael Caine's performance and its tender intergenerational relationship.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Edward tape-records elderly residents and investigates ghosts and the afterlife while coping with loneliness.
Edward and Clarence form an odd-couple friendship in which Edward learns presence and Clarence confronts his past.
Edward's parents operate an old people's home, making aging residents part of the family's everyday life.
The story unfolds in a seaside English town where Edward's unusual home life intensifies his social solitude.
Films like Is Anybody There?, and why
The Straight Story
shared themes of intergenerational friendship, mortality, and emotional healing in a gentle dramatic register
The Secret of Roan Inish
shared coming-of-age perspective, wistful tone, and friendship between an isolated child and an older outsider
The Leisure Seeker
shared focus on aging, memory, family strain, and humane bittersweet drama
Local Hero
shared seaside setting, eccentric characters, and tender exploration of childhood loneliness
Movie Details
- Director
- John Crowley
- Release Date
- 2009-04-17
- Runtime
- 95 min
- Rating
- 6.3 / 10 (79)
Cast
- Michael Caine
- Bill Milner
- David Morrissey
- Anne-Marie Duff
- Rosemary Harris
- Ralph Riach
- Linzey Cocker
- Elizabeth Spriggs
- Leslie Phillips
- Sylvia Syms
Common questions
- What is Is Anybody There? about?
- A lonely boy in an English retirement home finds an unexpected guide to living through his friendship with a rebellious retired magician.
- What is Is Anybody There? like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Is Anybody There? as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Is Anybody There? violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Is Anybody There?.
- What did critics think of Is Anybody There??
- Critics generally found the film a compassionate, occasionally uneven coming-of-age drama elevated by Michael Caine's performance and its tender intergenerational relationship.
- Which films are like Is Anybody There??
- Films with a similar feel include The Straight Story, The Secret of Roan Inish, The Leisure Seeker, and Local Hero.
- How long is Is Anybody There??
- Is Anybody There? runs 95 minutes.
