Archipelago

Dir. Joanna Hogg
Starring. Tom Hiddleston, Kate Fahy

One of the most frustrating things for a movie lover to see is a film that hints at a great talent behind the camera, but as a whole just doesn't quite work. For me, Archipelago was a perfect example of this kind of misstep. It managed to touch on the potential of writer/director Joanna Hogg, but in the end fell quite short of showcasing it.

Set in the Isles of Scilly, Archipelago is an honest and bleak look at the dynamic of a wealthy family desperate to keep things pleasant and together while on holiday. Elder son Edward (Tom Hiddleston) has recently committed to moving to Africa for eleven months to do volunteer work, so, as a final farewell to him, his mother (Kate Fahy) gathers the family to their vacation home. His opinionated sister Cynthia (Lydia Leonard) attends, if a bit begrudgingly, and a hired cook, Rose (Amy Lloyd), and painting teacher, Christopher (Christopher Baker), round out the group. The only person missing is Edward and Cynthia's father whose only presence in the film is several increasingly tense phone calls. Although the holiday started out with good intentions, it threatens to unravel as deep seated emotions between the characters begin to surface.

This film certainly portraits that state boredom and aimlessness that is often symptomatic of an upper class family. Edward has created an existential crisis for himself and is determined to be stuck in it, ironically, in an attempt to bring a bit of meaning into his life. He has turned to what he imagines to be a humble solution to his problems; charity work. Unfortunately, charity for selfish reasons doesn't make one charitable, nor will it bring him the kind of self-actualisation he hopes. Although he probably suspects this, he refuses to admit it and insists on defending his decision to move to Africa to his mother and disapproving sister. He develops a misguided affection for Rose, who despite representing the working class, is very much above her unhappy employers in everything but financial status. Although Christopher is also employed by the family he is quite different from Rose with his pseudo-intellectual self-declared artistic nature. He is a profoundly annoying but often very funny character. He embodies someone who claims to have found enlightenment through his art and professes to share this with his students. It's hard to tell who is the bigger schmuck, him, or the people that buy into him.

There were several scenes in Archipelago that were so funny and well-observed they were almost enough to save the rest of the film. Almost...but not quite. These scenes were near perfect and featured great performances from the actors. They were authentic and awkward and just about brilliant. I found myself thinking, "Here is a great voice of a female filmmaker in the making." But then the film just kept going on, and nothing much happened, and by the end I'd all but forgotten about those promising moments.

I assume Hogg was attempting a story more impressionistic than dramatically engaging, but it really just felt like something was missing. For a film about almost all unlikable characters, I suspect there has to be some kind of mildly cathartic moment just to give the characters and audience a sense of redemption. Otherwise, all the tension and the build up in the relationships never really comes to fruition, as is the case here. Archipelago could have made a great 10 minute short film, but there was just not enough plot to support the full running time. Nonetheless, I'm eager to see more from Hogg. If she can fully realize her vision into a film with a bit more of a narrative arc...well, that will be something to write home about.