Rent Unrelated (2007)

3.2 of 5 from 160 ratings
1h 40min
Rent Unrelated Online DVD & Blu-ray Rental
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Synopsis:
Hailed as the British debut of the year, and the discovery of a major new talent, Joanna Hogg’s film deals with Anna, a fortyish childless woman who, leaving her partner at home, joins the family of an old friend at a Tuscan villa. Rather than the adults, she finds herself drawn to the company of the teenagers, but discovers she can never really be part of either group. Kathryn Worth gives a highly praised performance as the awkward outsider Anna, and rising new actor Tom Hiddleston also shines as the manipulative eldest son, Oakley.
Actors:
, , , , , , , , Leonetta Mazzini, Benedetto Fiorentini, Giovanna Mennell, Nicoleta Stroe, Jonathan Mennell, Luisa Bartolomei, Elisabetta Fiorentini, Francesca Capaccioli, Giuseppe Fiorentini, Francesco Masocco, Beatrice Ferné Fiorentini, Andrea Fiorentini
Directors:
Writers:
Joanna Hogg
Studio:
New Note Distribution
Genres:
Drama
Collections:
Getting to Know: Tilda Swinton
BBFC:
Release Date:
02/02/2009
Run Time:
100 minutes
Languages:
English Dolby Digital 5.1
DVD Regions:
Region 2
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 1.78:1 / 16:9
Colour:
Colour
Bonus:
  • Interview with director and writer Joanna Hogg

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Reviews (4) of Unrelated

Promising debut - Unrelated review by CP Customer

Spoiler Alert
14/07/2013

Joanna Hogg's first film makes her someone to watch out for. The naturalistic fly on wall quality of the dialogue takes you into the world of an upper middle class extended family holiday group - 3 adults and 4 teenagers through the eyes of a 40 something guest, Anna, who is an old schoolfriend of Verena, the mother of three of the teenagers. Anna finds it hard to reconnect with Verena - she has come without her husband, and we see early on that this was a last minute decision of hers and that there is some problem with her marriage. She gets drawn towards the young and slightly makes a fool of herself by getting sexually attracted to the eldest teenage boy (Tom Hiddleston). The visual aspect is stunning: the setting is Tuscany near Siena, but the the stunning holiday brochure quality landscapes and evocative skies have electrical pylons, supermarket car parks, traffic islands and flyovers, the stylish interiors have the unpacked belongings heaped on unmade beds. The holiday realism extends to showing all the tensions between the characters including a horrendous off-screen father-son row which all the others have to listen to.

It is possible to be put off by the level of social class portrayed - the teenagers are spoilt and conceited, the adults (aside from Anna) have all the smugness of privilege - but their unpleasant aspects are not glossed over and there is enough universality in the whole family holiday experience (good and bad) to allow the viewer some identification. One other problem is that the fly on the wall quality of the sound extends to how it is recorded, and the dialogue indoors when everyone is talking at once, is difficult to hear at times. this may be part of Hogg's technique - she doesn't like to signpost or have clunky expositional dialogue. The viewer is left to do the work of gradually piecing things together.

I took out this film after I had seen Archipelago, Hogg's brilliant second film. The later film is better but recognisably the same voicing honing her craft and mining similar material. Hogg's influences are in the European art film auteur tradition but her vision is pervaded by the peculiarity of Englishness. Understated subtle & penetrating - the kind of film that gets richer on further viewing.

2 out of 3 members found this review helpful.

Cine simulacrum - Unrelated review by GL

Spoiler Alert
19/11/2015

Dire trash that passes for art-house; the only thing more nuisible than watching this almost, almost film would be going on holiday with these people.

1 out of 2 members found this review helpful.

Nothing happens - Unrelated review by PW

Spoiler Alert
19/03/2020

Samuel Beckett's play 'Waiting for Godot' is one in which, in the words of Beckett himself, 'nothing happens twice'. It turns out to be a masterpiece. 'Unrelated' is a film in which nothing happens over and over again. It turns out to be a trite, pretentious and unforgivably boring attempt to be an arthouse film. And I do like a decent arthouse film!

0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.

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