This film by Joanna Hogg features a very young Tom Hiddleston, probably the first of several they have done together. It’s an unusual take on relationships – 2 families are on summer holiday in Tuscany, when a 40something friend of the mother arrives. There is a lot of drinking, and the friend choses to hang out with the teens rather than her peers which causes some concern, but it continues. She and Hiddleson’s character drift together, she seems to misunderstand the difference between the generations and… well, I won’t spoil it.
It’s unusual as there is not a lot of speech. We are watching Brits on holiday, so at times feels more like a fly on the wall documentary than drama, but there is a fascinating strand of generational clashes, of teens on the brink of adulthood, and of what is acceptable behaviour.
I am also fascinated that Hogg, like Andrea Arnold, allows actions to tell stories rather than words. People do stupid pointless things. Stuff happens, not all of which drives the plots.
A quiet, fascinating observational film, well worth a watch.
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