Michael Winterbottom doesn't have a signature style, nor even a favorite topic. His films can range from a close observation of a lesbian relationship in "Butterfly Kiss" to a slice off the Bosnian War in "Welcome to Sarajevo" to the sublime sci-fi antics of "Code 46." If there's a commonality to these, it could be a certain detachment: Though Winterbottom is a master at drawing his characters' passions and emotions, the overall texture of his movies is as smooth and refined as caramel.
"Everyday" is the latest to reach our shores, and in this, Winterbottom turns the tables on his own formula. The master in the art of dramatics (and often histrionics) marvels at the mundane and ordinary, much like a beachcomber who goes for the most ubiquitous seashells instead of the artistic driftwood. Here, Winterbottom revels in such prosaic moments as a child's hand turning off a light switch, and he frames it so that it becomes a single painting of astonishing beauty.
The film charts five years in the life of a family in which the dad, Ian (John Simm), has been imprisoned for drug smuggling. The mom, Karen (Shirley Henderson), shepherds her four children onto trains and buses to visit him, traveling from one outward destination to another (it seems Ian is being moved about constantly). It's a grueling undertaking for a brief encounter, but Karen feels it's worth it. When the children get to see their father, they treat the occasion as an especially wonderful outing: They clamor for his attention, exchange long, tight hugs and tell him all about what they've been doing at school.