"“Admiring Winterbottom's creativity and innovation is one thing, enjoying it, however, is another...”"

Whether you enjoy his films or not, you can't help but admire Michael Winterbottom for his inclination to change and adapt his own style to different genres, forming what has been a somewhat innovative directing career. Everyday is yet another example of such originality, as he shoots the picture for a few weeks at a time over the course of five years as we watch a family grow up together. However despite respecting Winterbottom for trying something so unique, that isn't to say he has done it particularly well.

Although following four real-life siblings as they grow up, Everyday tells a fictional account of one family's struggle to adapt to life while Ian (John Simm) the father, spends time in prison for drug smuggling. We watch on as Karen (Shirley Henderson) attempts to raise all four of her kids – ranging in age from around 3 to10 – single handedly in their small town residence.

We dip in and out of their lives over a five year period as we watch how the family adapt and conform to life without their father, as we see the children at school, Karen at work, and just the small details such as evenings at home, and family meals. Such scenes are intertwined with countless trips to visit Ian in prison as we watch how these two worlds collide and the repercussions that Ian's absence is having on his wife and children.

Everyday is frighteningly realistic, so much so it could be mistaken for being a documentary, enhanced by the fact much of this is shot with a handheld camera, almost fly on the wall. However Winterbottom is evidently so concerned with realism, he has forgotten that there may actually be an audience who have paid to go and see this film, an audience expecting some form of the drama at the very least, yet this picture survives almost solely off it's naturalistic approach and unique selling point.

However, the performances are good, particularly impressive given these four children are siblings and it's unlikely that all four have their eye on an acting career in the long run. The most endearing is the youngest of the children Shaun (Shaun Kirk) as it's so moving to see such a young child struggling with a father-less upbringing. It certainly helps that all four kids are siblings, as they all look alike and share similar mannerisms, which adds to the authenticity of proceedings, vital given just how naturalistic Winterbottom is vying to be with this production.

However you do spend the entire film waiting for something remotely exciting to happen and it simply let's you down in that respect. Intriguing and contemplative it may be, but it feels inconsequential and it's lack of entertainment of any kind is striking, in what proves to be a tedious and boring feature on the whole. Admiring Winterbottom's creativity and innovation is one thing, enjoying it, however, is another.