Unrelated
Encyclopedia
Unrelated is a 2008
British
film written and directed by Joanna Hogg
about a fortysomething woman who goes on holiday with a friend and her teenage family to Italy. It was shot on location in Tuscany, Italy near the city of Siena
.
) and her family in their rented villa in Tuscany
. She was meant to be accompanied by her partner, Alex, but she tells Verena that he had to stay in London to work at the last minute. Over the course of the film it become apparent that Anna took the holiday to get some time away from Alex following a row. The group is split along a clear but unspoken line between the 'olds' -Verena, her new husband Charlie (Michael Hadley) and Verena's cousin George (David Rintoul
), and the 'young' -Verena's two teenage children Jack (Henry Lloyd-Hughes
) and Badge (Emma Hiddleston
), Charlie's son Archie (Harry Kershaw), and George's son Oakley (Tom Hiddleston
). Trying to escape her relationship worries with Alex, Anna finds herself spending increasingly more time with the teenagers, upsetting Verena. She joins in with their mild hedonism, even promising not to tell their parents about their dope smoking and a drugs and drink-fuelled car accident in a borrowed car.
The simmering sexual tension and flirtation between her and Oakley, the teenagers ringleader, comes to a head when she invites him in to spend the night but he turns her down. Anna eventually tells Verena about the car accident, getting the teenagers into serious trouble and causing Oakley to have an appalling row with his father. Totally rejected by the teenage group as a result, Anna leaves the villa and checks in to a local hotel. Verena seeks her out, and the two reconcile after Anna reveals she has discovered that she can't have children. She returns to the villa with Verena, and stays on for a few days after the rest of the party have left. In the final scene we see Anna in a taxi to the airport on the phone to Alex, seemingly looking forward to seeing him again.
Z1 camera. The cast lived on location in the house that the characters rent on the San Fabiano Estate, even sleeping in the bedrooms that were used as their characters' bedrooms in the film.
in 2007, where it won the FIPRESCI
International Critics Prize. On its release in September 2008 it was hailed as one of the most original British films of the year. Critics remarked on its 'un-British' style and atmosphere, drawing comparisons to Ozu
, Rohmer
and Chabrol.. Writing in The Sunday Times
, Bryan Appleyard
called it 'radical' for portraying a group of British middle class characters "simply as another tribe, one with its own customs, failings, virtues and, above all, human, all too human, anguish...In terms both of style and content, this is a radical and brilliant film that will, if there is any justice, come to be seen as a turning point for British cinema".
In their December 2009 list of the 'Top 100 Films of The Decade', the film critics of The Guardian
newspaper put Unrelated at no. 21, the highest British film in the list. It currently holds an 85% rating score on Rotten Tomatoes
.
2008 in film
This is a list of all major films made in 2008.-Highest-grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2008...
British
Cinema of the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom has had a major influence on modern cinema. The first moving pictures developed on celluloid film were made in Hyde Park, London in 1889 by William Friese Greene, a British inventor, who patented the process in 1890. It is generally regarded that the British film industry...
film written and directed by Joanna Hogg
Joanna Hogg
Joanna Hogg is a British film maker and screenwriter. She made her directorial and screenwriting feature film debut in 2007 with Unrelated.-Early TV Work:...
about a fortysomething woman who goes on holiday with a friend and her teenage family to Italy. It was shot on location in Tuscany, Italy near the city of Siena
Siena
Siena is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena.The historic centre of Siena has been declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site. It is one of the nation's most visited tourist attractions, with over 163,000 international arrivals in 2008...
.
Synopsis
Anna (Kathryn Worth) arrives in Italy to stay with her old schoolfriend Verena (Mary RoscoeMary Roscoe
Mary Roscoe is an actress, director, theatre producer. who was born in Harare, Zimbabwe. She emigrated to the UK to train at Rose Bruford College.Most recently she has appeared in the highly acclaimed film Unrelated by Joanna Hogg...
) and her family in their rented villa in Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
. She was meant to be accompanied by her partner, Alex, but she tells Verena that he had to stay in London to work at the last minute. Over the course of the film it become apparent that Anna took the holiday to get some time away from Alex following a row. The group is split along a clear but unspoken line between the 'olds' -Verena, her new husband Charlie (Michael Hadley) and Verena's cousin George (David Rintoul
David Rintoul
David Rintoul is a stage and television actor.Rintoul was born in Aberdeen, Scotland. He studied at Edinburgh University and won a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London....
), and the 'young' -Verena's two teenage children Jack (Henry Lloyd-Hughes
Henry Lloyd-Hughes
Henry Lloyd-Hughes is an English actor who is best known for playing school bully Mark Donovan in the E4 comedy The Inbetweeners, as well as a minor role as Roger Davies in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.He was educated at St Paul's School, London...
) and Badge (Emma Hiddleston
Emma Hiddleston
Emma Hiddleston is an English actress.Hiddleston attended the Dragon School in Oxford. Later she attended the University of Cambridge.She acted as Badge in the 2008 film Unrelated. She also appeared in the 2011 London West End production of the 1971 play Butley by Simon Gray with Dominic West at...
), Charlie's son Archie (Harry Kershaw), and George's son Oakley (Tom Hiddleston
Tom Hiddleston
Thomas William "Tom" Hiddleston is an English actor. He is perhaps best known for playing Loki in the 2011 Marvel Studios film Thor.-Early life and education:...
). Trying to escape her relationship worries with Alex, Anna finds herself spending increasingly more time with the teenagers, upsetting Verena. She joins in with their mild hedonism, even promising not to tell their parents about their dope smoking and a drugs and drink-fuelled car accident in a borrowed car.
The simmering sexual tension and flirtation between her and Oakley, the teenagers ringleader, comes to a head when she invites him in to spend the night but he turns her down. Anna eventually tells Verena about the car accident, getting the teenagers into serious trouble and causing Oakley to have an appalling row with his father. Totally rejected by the teenage group as a result, Anna leaves the villa and checks in to a local hotel. Verena seeks her out, and the two reconcile after Anna reveals she has discovered that she can't have children. She returns to the villa with Verena, and stays on for a few days after the rest of the party have left. In the final scene we see Anna in a taxi to the airport on the phone to Alex, seemingly looking forward to seeing him again.
Cast
- Kathryn Worth as Anna
- Tom HiddlestonTom HiddlestonThomas William "Tom" Hiddleston is an English actor. He is perhaps best known for playing Loki in the 2011 Marvel Studios film Thor.-Early life and education:...
as Oakley - Mary RoscoeMary RoscoeMary Roscoe is an actress, director, theatre producer. who was born in Harare, Zimbabwe. She emigrated to the UK to train at Rose Bruford College.Most recently she has appeared in the highly acclaimed film Unrelated by Joanna Hogg...
as Verena - David RintoulDavid RintoulDavid Rintoul is a stage and television actor.Rintoul was born in Aberdeen, Scotland. He studied at Edinburgh University and won a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London....
as George - Henry Lloyd-HughesHenry Lloyd-HughesHenry Lloyd-Hughes is an English actor who is best known for playing school bully Mark Donovan in the E4 comedy The Inbetweeners, as well as a minor role as Roger Davies in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.He was educated at St Paul's School, London...
as Jack - Harry Kershaw as Jack
- Michael Hadley as Charlie
- Emma HiddlestonEmma HiddlestonEmma Hiddleston is an English actress.Hiddleston attended the Dragon School in Oxford. Later she attended the University of Cambridge.She acted as Badge in the 2008 film Unrelated. She also appeared in the 2011 London West End production of the 1971 play Butley by Simon Gray with Dominic West at...
as Badge - Several people who live and work on the estate where filming took place also appear in the film and are credited as themselves.
Production
The film was shot on location in Italy on a SonySony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
Z1 camera. The cast lived on location in the house that the characters rent on the San Fabiano Estate, even sleeping in the bedrooms that were used as their characters' bedrooms in the film.
Reception
Unrelated premiered at the London Film FestivalLondon Film Festival
The BFI London Film Festival is the UK's largest public film event, screening more than 300 features, documentaries and shorts from almost 50 countries. The festival, , currently in its 54th year, is run every year in the second half of October under the umbrella of the British Film Institute...
in 2007, where it won the FIPRESCI
FIPRESCI
The International Federation of Film Critics is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world for "the promotion and development of film culture and for the safeguarding of professional interests." It was founded in June 1930 in...
International Critics Prize. On its release in September 2008 it was hailed as one of the most original British films of the year. Critics remarked on its 'un-British' style and atmosphere, drawing comparisons to Ozu
Ozu
Ozu or Ōzu may refer to:Places*Ōzu, Ehime, a city in Ehime Prefecture*Ōzu, Kumamoto, a town in Kumamoto PrefecturePeople*Yasujirō Ozu , a Japanese filmmaker*Ozu, a character on the TV show Kappa Mikey...
, Rohmer
Rohmer
Rohmer is a surname, and may refer to:* Ann Rohmer , Canadian television personality* Betty Rohmer, fictional character in Dead Like Me* Éric Rohmer , French film director...
and Chabrol.. Writing in The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
, Bryan Appleyard
Bryan Appleyard
Bryan Appleyard is a British journalist and author.- Career :Appleyard was educated at Bolton School and King’s College, Cambridge and after graduating with a degree in English, he became Financial News Editor and Deputy Arts Editor from 1976 to 1984 at The Times. Subsequently he became a...
called it 'radical' for portraying a group of British middle class characters "simply as another tribe, one with its own customs, failings, virtues and, above all, human, all too human, anguish...In terms both of style and content, this is a radical and brilliant film that will, if there is any justice, come to be seen as a turning point for British cinema".
In their December 2009 list of the 'Top 100 Films of The Decade', the film critics of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
newspaper put Unrelated at no. 21, the highest British film in the list. It currently holds an 85% rating score on Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
.
Awards
- FIPRESCIFIPRESCIThe International Federation of Film Critics is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world for "the promotion and development of film culture and for the safeguarding of professional interests." It was founded in June 1930 in...
International Critics Prize at the London Film FestivalLondon Film FestivalThe BFI London Film Festival is the UK's largest public film event, screening more than 300 features, documentaries and shorts from almost 50 countries. The festival, , currently in its 54th year, is run every year in the second half of October under the umbrella of the British Film Institute...
2007 - The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
First Film Award 2008 - The Evening Standard Most Promising Newcomer Award 2009 (Joanna HoggJoanna HoggJoanna Hogg is a British film maker and screenwriter. She made her directorial and screenwriting feature film debut in 2007 with Unrelated.-Early TV Work:...
) - Bursa International Silk Road Film Festival 2008 Best International Actress (Kathryn Worth)
- The Evening Standard Best Film 2009 (nominated)
- London film Critic's Circle Awards Breakthrough Film Maker Award (Joanna HoggJoanna HoggJoanna Hogg is a British film maker and screenwriter. She made her directorial and screenwriting feature film debut in 2007 with Unrelated.-Early TV Work:...
, nominated)