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Video Description
Childless and in a deteriorating marriage, Anna fears she is condemned to a life on the periphery of events. Everything she is discovering now, she has arrived at too late. A summer holiday, with the family of an old school friend, becomes a reminder of a life she has not lived.
Sexual tensions simmer and Anna believes she has found a second chance. But as events slowly unravel, and the strains within this affluent bourgeois clique are revealed, she has to finally confront her inner turmoil and sadness.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This is a very edgy, thought provoking film. Having watched the film in spellbound, if uneasy, silence, I was inspired to watch the director's commentary which contributed yet further to my appreciation of this low-budget masterpiece. It is a beautifully acted, wonderfully understated drama which I would highly recommend. The main character, a 30 something childless woman, is painfully sympathetic and her relationship with the arrogant but charming son of her best friend offers great potential for dramatic tension. I can't wait to see what the director, Joanna Hogg, comes up with next.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This is a great low budget movie which shows us something rarely seen in movies - how much human beings lie. As a woman's mid-life crisis begins, she finds herself on holiday with some old friends. They have developed differently from her, in that they have had children and wish to remain married, while her marriage is rubbish. But they have hardly matured any further than she, and we might say that the subject of the movie is the folly of the British middle classes, who are shown here as ignorant, angry people trapped in eternal adolescence.
The central character develops a crush on her friend's son, and from there, the film explores her despair. It is hard to write a review of the movie without giving the game away, but what makes it interesting to watch is how the characters are not aware of what might really be going on, and they don't want to show it. As in life, beneath the surface of social pleasantries are many experiences of disappointment, envy, hatred, judgement and regret. The film is well-executed, and the only downside is that it paints a sad portrait of life.
The central character develops a crush on her friend's son, and from there, the film explores her despair. It is hard to write a review of the movie without giving the game away, but what makes it interesting to watch is how the characters are not aware of what might really be going on, and they don't want to show it. As in life, beneath the surface of social pleasantries are many experiences of disappointment, envy, hatred, judgement and regret. The film is well-executed, and the only downside is that it paints a sad portrait of life.
16 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This is a film that will make you think, make you cringe and make you want to go to Tuscany. It is one that you certainly won't forget quickly. It deals with the character of Anna who goes to stay with old friends in their Tuscan villa, arriving alone in the middle of the night and, significantly, unmet by her hosts leaving her to find her way to the villa in the dark on a dusty side road which is the opening scene of the film. This image of Anna dragging her suitcase along on her own gives us a key to her character in the film. She is with her friends but she does not belong to their world and although she tries to join them in all kinds of ways, some that may make you wince, she is ultimately rejected. The actors create an intense world of suppressed emotions and many things are left unsaid but can be observed clearly. The landscape of Tuscany shimmers in the heat but it is filled with menace and potential dangers. The director, Joanna Hogg, has created a very memorable film and I look forward to her next work.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Its awkwardly authentic
Not the most imaginative title for a film. But it does describe what goes on.
Hot summer holidays in Tuscan villas. When the Sienna Palio is on. I've known one of them. Read more
Hot summer holidays in Tuscan villas. When the Sienna Palio is on. I've known one of them. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Jan Mecir
Proceed with caution...
Having quite, but not thoroughly, enjoyed "Archipelago" (and encouraged by excellent reviews), I watched Joanna Hogg's previous film with favourable anticipation... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Mr. B. Kendrick
slow-goes no where really
I had read great reviews about this but to be honest, it was a disappointment- very slow. A study of a woman who is experiencing problems in her relationship and takes herself off... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Berni
Takes some time to get
I have to admit I'm not the biggest fan of Joanna Hogg's direction with film. Really, this is a movie that has been taken from a home video camera and played back to people who... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Shades
Unique plot
The character relationships present here are very unusual for a film but really refreshing and among the open sea of polished off blockbusters, this is hugely creative. Read more
Published 19 months ago by D. Lindsay
Sound quality made this film unwatchable
I had seen a few good reviews for this film, so was looking forward to watching it. Unfortunately, the sound quality was so poor that I struggled to hear what was being said;... Read more
Published on 11 April 2009 by Jackie
Unrelated: debut film of the year for Joanna Hogg
A grand well crafted opening film from new writer-director Joanna Hogg; the film is set outside of Siena and involves three families in an all too typical tale with a couple of... Read more
Published on 16 Feb 2009 by Mr. Dererk M. Wyatt
Like a Toff Big Brother
Interesting, if flawed, attempt at an English Eric Rohmer (it reminded me of The Green Ray and La Collectionneuse) with without his talent. Read more
Published on 12 Feb 2009 by R. Chapman
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