Unrelated (2007)

Danny Boyle's reminder earlier this month at the LFF’s Closing Gala on the importance of film festivals has never been so appropriate. His basic gist was that festivals allow the films to speak for themselves. After screenings the distributors can successfully gauge the buzz surrounding a particular film. Boyle speaks from not so distant experience. His latest film Slumdog Millionaire wasn't picked up for distribution until its premiere and subsequent screening at both the Telluride and Toronto Film Festivals. It seems absurd that a film-maker of this caliber with such a faultless commercial and critical back-catalogue should struggle to find distribution deals.

Robert Beeson and Pam Engel (founders of UK/USA DVD distributor Artificial Eye) have recently set-up new UK film distribution company New Wave Film. Their first release is Unrelated, a new wave film indeed, especially for British cinema. Our very own, Joanna Hogg, making her feature length directorial debut, and what a start it is. A delicious slice of dysfunctional family life bursting with qualities normally attributed to that foreign film genre. This is indeed, something very extraordinary.

Comparisons can be drawn with my favourite Dogme film Festen (1998). Less cringing perhaps (what isn't?), but the realism is wholeheartedly intact.

Anna (Kathryn Worth) ventures to Italy to meet up with Verena (Mary Roscoe), a friend from her early school days. Upon arriving alone she is questioned by Verena, her clique of upper/middle class friends and their families about the whereabouts of her husband Alex. Conversations proceed to flow as liberally as the wine yet Anna, in a plot driven desire to re-connect with her youth finds more solace hanging-out with the "youngs" rather than as socially accepted or expected, with the "olds".

Her strongest bond is with twenty-something leader-of-the-pack Oakley (wonderfully embodied by already established on-stage and rising on-screen talent Tom Hiddleston). Whilst the theft of his father's prized bottle of wine is willfully accepted, the writing-off of the neighbour's car is the final straw. Unfortunately for Ann, as the insider of both groups with all the knowledge, her values and principles are torn between newfound friends and old lost friend.

All this narrative ruckus is leisurely overshadowed by the emergence of truth surrounding Anna's relationship troubles with husband Alex, a character that is quite often at the film's focus but whom never actually makes an on-screen appearance.

A film of the year.