I’ve been looking forward to seeing this very much. I’ve only found fairly expensive copies of it on amazon, so been waiting for the price to drop. Im glad to see some positive response to this film. Once I do see the film, I’ll be looking forward to getting into a more indepth conversation about its subject matter, but for now, just glad to see its getting noticed.
Cilo Barnard (the director of this) and Andrea Arnold are two of the best British (and female…) directors in Britain right now. I imagine if you enjoyed this, Fish Tank (2009) by Arnold will be interesting for you. It looks at community and whiteness in the same kind of situations that seem to appear in The Arbor.
Yes i’ve seen Red Road and Fish Tank which are both very good. The Arbor takes a bit of getting used to and grasping as we have various ways of telling the story, and from many different perspectives. At least we can feel with the ones we get to know that they have their reasons
Kenji
I was expecting a pleasant relaxing summery film full of flowers and Laura Ashley dresses. Instead here’s a part documentary, part acted and lip synched account of life on a tough council estate in Bradford, England, centred on a young playwright (who found fame with the 80s film Rita, Sue and Bob Too in particular) and 4 generations of her family. It’s engrossing, uncomfortable and thought-provoking. It may make very interesting play with layers of illusion and reality- acting, plays, films, TV, news reports- but it’s about as truthful an account of the lives of the underclass in Britain over the past few decades as we’ve had. Lessons should be extended to systematic policy failures over drugs, alcohol, social deprivation, racism, violence, prisons, funding of social care, and a range of attitudes including on gender. But i doubt for the most part they will be- for although the film makes a very good job of presenting the main characters involved in a sympathetic way which reduces viewer judgmentalism, there are still the usual convenient scapegoats for tragedy- faceless social workers. And so the principle causes of the unfolding problems are easily missed or dismissed.