Unrelated
This , written and directed by Joanna Hogg is a low-key, melancholy pleasure. Anna (Kathryn Worth) tags along with old friend Verena (Mary Roscoe) and her large family during their summer holiday in Italy. We first see Anna alone at night, illuminated by car headlights as she drags her small case towards the villa where the family are staying - it's an image that prefigures what we discover about her emotional isolation. The family initially seems the epitome of middle class ease and affluence and forty-something Anna falls under the spell of their bonhomie, spending most of her time with the younger members of the group. Her awkward friendship with the teenagers and the sexual tension between her and the young and attractive Oakley (Tom Hiddleston) puts Anna into conflict with Verena and causes her to reflect on the choices she has made during the course of her life.
is an evocative film, it dwells on the pleasure of sitting outside on a warm night, of flirting, of driving too fast with music blasting. Conversations ebb and flow as they do in reality and some may find the pace of the film frustrating, but scenes often dwell as much as on what is unsaid as what is being talked about. There is an extremely effective scene where most of the characters sit around the pool in the sunshine, while off-screen we hear a father and son have a violent argument. This is Joanna Hogg's first feature film and as well as daring to let things unfold gradually, she has chosen a look that matches the dreamy quality of the story. Oliver Curtis, cinematographer on Unrelated also worked on Chris Newby's bizarre , which had a similar sheen.
Not everyone will find Unrelated to their taste, but it is a film of good performances, quiet intelligence and occasional jabs to the heart.
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