One feat may be this film was shot in a five-year period of time. Boyhood in twelve. No problem. But a great deal, anyway. The thing is the story. Always the story. Here, Winterbottom takes us in the lives of people who have to do what they have to do, every day. And it's exactly that every day life which gives meaning to any life. The kids (I imagine all of them siblings in real life) are just themselves all the time. No hidden tricks, no acting. They are the glue of everything here. And yes, they deliver what any kid their age would do in life: living as a kid. It has the feel of a documentary. The hand held camera is a clear sign of this, as is also the camera in the car, the perfectly captured whispers... as if we were intruding in their every day lives.The beauty of the story is the chiaroscuro of its scenes and of its pace. Quiet and bucolic at times, raucous and city-driven in other moments. I applaud the way this film was made and all the people involved in making it happen. Beautiful.

English screenwriter, producer and director Michael Winterbottom's nineteenth feature film which he co-wrote with French screenwriter Laurence Coriat, premiered in the Shows section at the 39th Telluride Film Festival in 2012, was screened in the Masters section at the 37th Toronto International Film Festival in 2012, was shot on location in Norfolk, England over a period of five years and is a United Kingdom production which was produced by producer Melissa Parmenter. It tells the story about a woman named Karen who lives in a house in a rural county in the East of England with her sons named Shaun and Robert and daughters named Stephanie and Katrina. Karen's husband named Ian whom she and his children are waiting to get back home has been in prison for several years and is serving his sentence.Distinctly and finely directed by UK filmmaker Michael Winterbottom, this quietly paced fictional tale which is narrated from the mother, father and children's viewpoints, draws a tangible and intimate portrayal of four children who are missing their father and a hard working mother whom is struggling to hold her family together whilst regularly visiting her man who is incarcerated. While notable for it's naturalistic milieu depictions, sterling cinematography by cinematographers James Clarke, Sean Bobbitt, Marcel Zyskind, Simon Tindall and Anne Marie Lean Vercoe, use of sound and realism, this narrative-driven story where the continuity is created by repetitions and abrupt editing depicts two interrelated studies of character and contains a great score by English composer Michael Nyman.This atmospheric, conversational and romantic drama about an English family which is set in the county of Norfolk in the East of England and where a matrimony is challenged by the distance that has and is keeping a husband and wife apart due to his past criminal actions, is impelled and reinforced by it's cogent narrative structure, subtle character development and continuity, natural humor and dialog, ordinary and charming characters, the modest and sincere acting performances by English actor John Simm, Scottish actress Shirley Henderson and the pivotal acting performances by the child actors and actresses. A lyrical, compassionate, mindful and heartrending labour of love from a great European filmmaker which gained the FIPRESCI Award for Best Film at the 23rd Stockholm International Film Festival in 2012.

From director Michael Winterbottom (24 Hour Party People, A Mighty Heart), I heard bits and pieces about this feature length drama done in a relatively alternative way, where it is all filmed in real time, and it certainly adds to the realism of the story. Basically, filmed over a real period of five years, and with all four children played by real siblings, this tells the story of mother Karen (Shirley Henderson) who cares for her our children, Shaun (Shaun Kirk), Robert (Robert Kirk), Katrina (Katrina Kirk) and Stephanie (Stephanie Kirk) while their father Ian (John Simm) serves his time in prison for drug smuggling (although his crime may in fact be unspecified). When Karen does go with her children to visit Ian the journey is always long and laborious because he moves from prison to prison, and there is also a journey to get the children to school and back, but life goes on as usual. Day to day life for the family has repetitive routines, such as getting up early for the visits, brushing their teeth, working at the pub, eating meals, attending school, watching television and other mundane things, but Karen being lonely is also sleeping with Eddie (Darren Tighe) from the pub. Ian enjoys the visits from his wife and children very much, and despite being with bored with hardly anything to do in prison he always looks forward to hearing what his family are up to since they last saw him, the children grow fast and he misses spending personal time with his wife, and she feels the same. It is towards the end of his sentence that Ian gets the opportunity to spend a full day with Karen, Shaun, Robert, Katrina and Stephanie, so they go to their favourite spot the beach, before taking the children to town and the couple finally getting a room to be intimate in a short time. Finally the day comes when Ian is released having served his time, he is happy to see Karen and the children and be able to go home with them, he familiarises himself with life back where he belongs, but he is upset when Karen confesses her infidelity, but he forgives her in the end and they are all happy. Also starring Polly Kossowicz as School Teacher, Valerie Lilley as Grandmother and Peter Gunn as Shop Manager. Henderson gives a believably honest performance as the wife who is bored and needing her husband back and does everything she can to support and care well for her children, Simm gets his moments as the father who looks forward to every time he has with his family and looks forward to his release, and the four children who we see grow in real time are cute and endearing. The fact that this film was made over a period of five years is a very interesting concept, it definitely helps you believe the story of a troubled but loving family, the really related children ageing on screen is one of the key parts of what makes this film feel like a documentary, I agree it is emotionally draining in some way throughout, but it is an exceptional drama. Very good!

Take one art-house director, use non-actors in the most emotionally engaging roles (the children) and film it over five years. There you have it! A piece of work that receives amazing reviews and attention. Yet this drama has left me feeling strangely unmoved and disengaged. I wasn't interested in the adults and didn't care one iota about them, perhaps through the fault of the director? The only people that mattered to me were the kids but even their amazingly sensitive and natural performances struggled to keep my interest. Simm and Henderson were good, as they always are in their work, but no better than many other dramatic actors in far superior dramas. The scenes in Everyday were slow, and I found the accompanying music sounded like the film score from a Hallmark movie. Winterbottom's final shot was something that I have seen in endless films before... So why is everyone applauding this film? IS IT ME? Or is this truly a case of the Emperor's Clothing?