Is art the only way for the privileged to deal with their boredom and discontent? Hogg seems to be suggesting so.
British writer/director Joanna Hogg follows her debut Unrelated with another insightful, impressively acted study of upper-middle-class family friction.
Shot with grace and precision but paced with all the urgency of a Sunday afternoon stroll, Joanna Hogg's Haneke-lite study of an English middle class family is a well-crafted affair elevated by terrific moments.
Another rather too similar tale of middle-class ennui.
Archipelago isn’t always easy to watch, but it is honestly observed and has an emotional power that lingers.
A sad, funny, wise film.
It’s not so much noises off as tensions off as the family’s secrets and frustrations slowly emerge.
A perceptive and beautifully composed portrait of a middle-class family in a state of subtle disarray.
It's a difficult watch and a difficult sell, but this is quietly outstanding.
The acting’s first rate, but it’s far too long.
As a study in strangled English politesse this film has something to say; I only wish its voice carried a little more vigour.
Hogg is brilliant at essaying the way families can inflict wounds on each other more by what they don't say than what they do say, and her use of long, static takes helps her achieve a remarkable sense of naturalism that ratchets up the skin-crawling – albeit frequently funny – tension that exists between her characters.
It’s directed and performed with impeccable naturalism but feels slighter than her previous work, with fewer and less involving characters.
Archipelago is a major achievement – a very adult film about people who can't quite grow up.
Archipelago is a subtle film of sensed absences.
Joanna Hogg explains how she made debut film Archipelago
Archipelago: holiday from hell, film from heaven
The laugh-out-loud nightmares of Joanna Hogg
'I reinvent my own rules each time I make a film'
Arts: Joanna Hogg is doing something new, interesting and true to what she knows
Half Scottish, half famous...all talent
Is Archipelago a class act or an empty gesture?
General release. Check local listings for show times.