Unrelated (2007)

Film: Unrelated

Director: Joanna Hogg

Country: UK

Released: October 2007

Runtime: 100 minutes

Genre: Drama

Studio: New Wave Films

Influenced: Tilda Swinton, Richard Ayoade, Alice Lowe, Peter Strickland, Sarah Gavron

In her late 40s, after a successful career directing British TV soaps like EastEnders, Joanna Hogg made the move into cinema with her debut feature film, Unrelated. Shot on a budget of merely £150,000, this independent film is not just a testament to Hogg's resourcefulness and talent in crafting a compelling story with limited resources, but it was also the announcement of a new style of UK cinema, as well as a new British auteur. Just like Ricky Gervais was pushing the boundaries of awkwardness on TV in the 2000s with The Office, Hogg was seeking to make us equally uncomfortable as she dissects the upper middle classes with the eye of a scientist. Hogg’s camera is often distant from the action and dialogue, giving us the sense of an objective lens that is examining the conversations and behaviour of a privileged family holidaying abroad in Italy. 

Set against the picturesque backdrop of Tuscany, Unrelated revolves around Anna (Kathryn Worth), a 40-something woman seeking solace from an unhappy marriage. She joins her friend Verena (Mary Roscoe) and her family for a summer holiday, hoping to escape her dreary existence and rediscover a sense of purpose. However, her time with Verena's dysfunctional family & friends proves to be a whirlwind of emotions, as she grapples with her own insecurities and finds herself drawn to the vibrancy of the younger generation, as opposed to Verena, her husband and friend George (David Rintoul). She flirts outrageously with George's son, Oakley (Tom Hiddleston in his first movie), and goes on wild escapades into the Tuscan countryside. The film was conceived amid personal turmoil for Hogg – notably the double blow of her father’s death and learning that she and her husband Nick Turvey would be unable to have children – as well as a desire to explore themes of identity, self-discovery and relating with others. 

Hogg envisioned a film that would delve into the internal lives of characters, capturing their emotions and vulnerabilities with raw authenticity. Hogg's unique directorial style, marked by its intimate and observational approach, was achieved by the use of handheld cameras, natural lighting and long takes to create a sense of immediacy. The blurry, evocative images in the car after they've all smoked a spliff, soundtracked by N-Trance's Set You Free, is a memorable sequence, as are the awkward silences between Anna and Oakley. The film's setting, a sprawling Tuscan villa and swimming pool, serves as an evocative backdrop for the exploration of personal narratives and the simmering tensions beneath the surface of the seemingly idyllic vacation. Verena's son Jack is a boorish public schoolboy type, while Oakley has some of those characteristics, as well as a more inquisitive nature. However, his questioning of Anna about why she hasn't had children, as they're sat chatting in a square in Siena, reveals his insensitivity.

Unrelated received acclaim, including being nominated for the prestigious Sutherland Award at the BFI London Film Festival and winning Best British Film at the British Independent Film Awards, cementing Hogg's reputation as a rising star in the British filmmaking landscape. The film shares many similarities with Éric Rohmer's Le Rayon Vert (1986), which is also about a woman in midlife on a journey of self-discovery who is seeking connection and meaning. The film's title, Unrelated, holds multiple layers of meaning, reflecting the emotional detachment Anna feels from her current life and the sense of alienation she experiences among her friend's family. As well as the nuanced exploration of human relationships, and skewering of the pretensions and dysfunctions of London's upper middle classes, what I also love about the movie is the way it captures one of my favourites places on Earth, Tuscany. Lauded by Martin Scorsese, Hogg would go on to have further success with Archipelago (2010) and Exhibition (2013), as well as The Souvenir (2019) and The Souvenir Part II (2021).