Review of Albatross (2013) by Ben D — 13 Jan 2012

I said to someone today, you should always judge a film for what it is, not for what it isn't. It seems I can't listen to my own advice, for watching Albatross, a small British film of some heart, I kept judging it for what it wasn't. The script, by Tamzin Rafn, felt like it was continually missing all the opportunities to deepen its intensity: scenes were set up with certain expections, and then played out without the expected reveal (which would duly come in the following scene in a less plausible manner) and other set-ups, which could have been played for laughs and tension (the mistress hidden behind the couch as the daughter comes in, for instance), were squandered with almost no consideration for their potential effect. Every minute of the film I felt there was a better film fighting to get out.

And yet, despite my negative comments, there was much to enjoy here. Director Niall MacCormick films the Isle of Man scenery beautifully, and one particular set-piece towards the end of the film (as the daughter does find out what her best friend has been upr) is well edited, filmed and acted by the principal players. The two young leads, Felicity Jones and Jessica Brown-Findlay, were fine - espcially Brown-Findlay who took a role that could have gone into the wrong side of cliche and wrought a human being out of it. And the script, which I've said at times doesn't always work to the maximum, does at times work very well indeed. The scenes between Emelia and her grand-parents had some very tender, pared down dialogue that spoke volumes.

Overall then, a not entirely successful film, but an entertaining one.