Joanna Hogg's "Unrelated" definitely gets a bad rap being called "boring" and "slow". I didn't find this film to be anything but honest. Like Jim Jarmusch said " Life has no plot, why must films or fiction?". I'm not saying that this film has no plot, because it definitely does, but Joanna Hogg doesn't go out of her way to constantly grab at people's attention by blowing up cars and making characters say things so witty and dramatic that they're beyond reality. I found this film to be refreshingly honest and humble. One thing that may be odd for some people is that the film has no score. Everything you hear is something that you'd hear in your life: the sound of crickets at night, people chatting in the background, or birds chirping in the morning. There are also no dramatic camera angles. Most of the scenes are filmed in what appears to be one take without multiple shots like you would be viewing it if you were there. Most of the film is improvised but the acting is still exceptional.
The plot of the film follows a woman (Anna) in an unhappy relationship with her husband who is going through somewhat of a midlife crisis. We never see her husband but we see the stress of their relationship upon her as she talks to him on the phone everyday and the conversations always leave her in a rough place. Feeling the need to get away, Anna tags along with her best friend's family on a vacation to Tuscany, Italy for the summer. Anna gets along well with her friends' children, especially connecting with their oldest son, Oakley, sharing more about her relationship troubles with him than with her friend. Kathryn Worth plays this part extremely well and her chemistry with Tom Hiddleston goes beyond just seeming "great together" on screen. You really believe the confusion and uncertainty that comes along with their sexual tension and genuine concern for each other. Anna eventually loses the trust of the kids which allows her to uncomfortably come back to reality and finally open up to her friend about why she's so unhappy. The whole entire film is so believable and understandable; I really admire Joanna Hogg for making a film that is so true and allows us to understand that even the lives we envy are still imperfect and unsatisfying and the best has to be made with what you have.
The plot of the film follows a woman (Anna) in an unhappy relationship with her husband who is going through somewhat of a midlife crisis. We never see her husband but we see the stress of their relationship upon her as she talks to him on the phone everyday and the conversations always leave her in a rough place. Feeling the need to get away, Anna tags along with her best friend's family on a vacation to Tuscany, Italy for the summer. Anna gets along well with her friends' children, especially connecting with their oldest son, Oakley, sharing more about her relationship troubles with him than with her friend. Kathryn Worth plays this part extremely well and her chemistry with Tom Hiddleston goes beyond just seeming "great together" on screen. You really believe the confusion and uncertainty that comes along with their sexual tension and genuine concern for each other. Anna eventually loses the trust of the kids which allows her to uncomfortably come back to reality and finally open up to her friend about why she's so unhappy. The whole entire film is so believable and understandable; I really admire Joanna Hogg for making a film that is so true and allows us to understand that even the lives we envy are still imperfect and unsatisfying and the best has to be made with what you have.