Reviews of Unrelated
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peterbunzl
29Mar11
I saw Unrlelated on dvd recently after seeing Archipelago at the cinema (Joanna Hogg’s second film) and much preferred Unrelated. I think because the lead character of Anna (brilliantly played by Kathryn Worth) is so sympathetic and intriguing. Also it was 90 minutes to Archipelagos 120. There are massive thematic and stylistic similarities however between the films. Both being about middle class holidays with strange unspoken tensions. Both with absent characters – the cause of those tensions and both shot in a formal style in static masters on video, with naturalistic sound and dialogue.
Anna arrives in Tuscany to stay with some friends and their children at their gorgeous villa. She was supposed to be with her husband but he is missing and it is apparent from her sad detached demeanour and one sided phone calls to him that something is up between them. She is attracted to the teenage son of her host Oakley (Tom Hiddleston) and ignores the “olds” in favour of hanging out with him and his friends the “youngs” a group of privelleged teenagers. She seems very much the outsider, an observer not sure where she belongs and without her husband regressing to her adolescence.
I thought it was a really acomplished film and the setting and people are evoked vividly. In the dvd interview Joanna Hogg talks about the lack of these kind of middle class ensemble pieces in British Cinema and how it has always been more of the preserve of the French. I am glad that she has taken it upon herself to redress the balance, because there is an emotional awkwardness and manner of speech specific about the English Middle Class that both films show to great effect.
- Currently 4.0/5 Stars.
VVS
20Jun09
Despite having had excellent critical reviews and winning numerous prestigious awards (including The Guardian’s Best First Film 2009 and FIPRESCI at LFF), you’ll have trouble finding this film outside of the UK. Perhaps because it touches on topics people find embarrassing – including the refusal of a 40-something woman to behave like a grown up, and the presentation of decadent, arrogant middle class families boozing the night away on their holiday in Tuscany – but this is exactly why I love this film so much, and why it’s had such great success in its home country:
It’s true to life, to modern women.
It dares to show cringeworthy ‘faux-pas’ we have all stumbled upon at some point in our history.
And, most importantly, it has an exquisite formal style. Sound, cinematography and editing all have a purpose, are highly controlled and used in a puritanical way. This is punctuated by distinct performances that never betray the characters they represent. Kathryn Worth (Anna), carefully outlines the periphery that traps her persona – this periphery should only be inside of the story – the film itself deserves to be included in the wider film canon. Spread the word, if you care! The trailer is here www.unrelatedfilm.com
- Currently 5.0/5 Stars.