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An outstanding film written and directed by filmmaker Joanna Hogg (Unrelated). It's one of the sharpest dissections of the bourgeoisie in British cinema, says Alex Davidson.

Before setting off for a charity mission in Africa, a young man and his family take a holiday on the Scilly Isle of Tresco in Joanna Hogg’s wonderfully unique follow-up to her debut, Unrelated. As the vacation progresses, the tensions in the family are gradually exposed - the mother’s volatile relationship with the absent father, the sister’s incredible capacity for antisocial neurosis, the son’s crippling lack of confidence.

Archipelago is one of the sharpest dissections of the bourgeoisie in British cinema. There are some astonishingly well-observed scenes – the quietly hilarious sequence where the petulant daughter sends back a meal in a restaurant is a perfect portrait of British repression. Likewise the son’s awkward flirting with the hired cook is painfully recognisable. In addition there is an intelligent evaluation of the family - like the metaphorical title, we witness a family of human islands linked through biological chance rather than any strong sense of empathy or common understanding. We are experiencing a wonderfully productive period for British female filmmakers - with the hugely impressive Archipelago, Joanna Hogg joins Andrea Arnold, Clio Barnard and Lynne Ramsay among the leading lights of UK cinema.

 

Alex Davidson on 19th April 2011
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