So, we are back on Criterion Crunch Time to introduce some of you to a truly talented director whom you may not be aware of. Frankly, before last year, I wasn’t aware of her either. Joanna Hogg is a director who will most likely never be given a big budget or a large IP, and she likely has no desire to do so. After seeing The Souvenir last year, she quickly became a director to watch. But, as you might expect, Hogg does not make the most easy to access films. She demands a lot out of her audience, and this movie is no different. In this article, we will be taking a close look at her film from 2007, Unrelated.
If you are a viewer that struggles with characters detailing plot points in situations where it is not realistic, Hogg may be the director for you. In Unrelated, Anna (Kathryn Worth) travels to Tuscany to spend time with Verena (Mary Roscoe) at a rented villa. We find out quite quickly that she was supposed to arrive with her boyfriend, Alex, but the extent of their issues are not revealed until almost literally the final frame. All this to say that Hogg makes you work for this information and it becomes rewarding, not only because of her wonderfully restrained direction, but also because of Worth’s tremendous performance. It is nearly criminal that she has not become more known in film circles. Worth has continued to work, of course, but this was my introduction to her and she carries the film. She easily portrays intense loneliness, a desire for any sort of connection with subtle facial expressions, and Hogg is never afraid to linger on these moments as her mask of a smile slowly twitches into near despair.
Given what we find out at the conclusion, her near dalliance and incredibly realistic flirtation with Oakley (Tom Hiddleston) transfers in our psyche from harmless to exciting and finally to utter sorrow. Hiddleston plays this youthful part just about perfectly and it left me pining for the days before he was a known commodity in big budget pictures. To his credit, he has branched out more than most stars of that certain cinematic universe, but I find it impossible to not think of what could have been without the god of mischief. Hiddleston and Worth’s chemistry is palpable and crackling, punctuated by his smirk and her slightly blushing smiles. Sure, Oakley mentions Anna as one of the “fellow olds,” but the way he says it is simply dripping with possibilities. The arc of their interactions not only works in the constraints of Unrelated, but is also a wonderful view of what it is like to fall for someone before you know them, when you are aching for touch and connection. Oakley’s change when he feels betrayed is childish and petulant (which works for his character’s age) but feels realistic for a possible couple’s first divergence.
Just as Hogg does not give easy answers to this new relationship, the same can be said of the longest term relationship, that of Anna and Verena. If you are the type of person who has stayed friends with people but the quality of that friendship has dissipated, Unrelated can cut quite deep. Throughout the film, as Anna is connecting more and more with youth, Verena sees her and comments that they are not spending time with one another. But, as most of us do, she backs off and lets her do as she will. As one might expect, this all comes to a head through Anna’s “betrayal” of Oakley. Instead of thanking Anna, she holds her accountable. And frankly, she is right to do so. Anna is the adult in the room, so to speak, but because of her private troubles, refuses to act as the mature person she needs to be.
But it should be noted that Verena, as a real friend would, comes through for Anna in the end. And even if you think Worth’s performance is only very good heading into the finale and true climax of the film, her turn here will push her truly into the great category. When Anna finally reveals that her loneliness and pain is linked to her inability to have children due to menopause. There are moments in the film prior to this that seem to stick out and maybe not make sense. But this reveal connects all the dots (especially her cryptic conversations with her boyfriend and the perfectly acted silence when Oakley asks about her desire to have children). Worth gives the purest revelation of regret I have seen on film in years. The sobs that wrack her body feel utterly genuine and completely haunting. Additionally, Hogg’s staging of this scene is without flaw. As it starts, the two old friends are sitting on the bed, but with space between them, discussing how they have not been there for each other recently. As soon, as Anna begins to crack, Verena crosses that distance in an instant to cradle her friend, even though she is clueless as to the problem. And, as in life, she can give her friend no easy answers, all she has to give is her presence, some small levels of comfort.
Unrelated is the exact sort of film that I hope people see because of a service like The Criterion Channel. Subtle filmmaking at its finest which demands your full attention and gives a reward. For all of Anna’s despair and pain, Unrelated still offers hope. After the late climax, we are finally shown Anna’s full range of emotion in her conversations with her boyfriend in which she states “I’m sorry. Darling. I wish I could make it better but I can’t. I wish I could.” The uttering of this dialogue could be the end. Yet, Hogg chooses to extend the film not only to make peace with her friends, but also to show her in a taxi, speaking with her boyfriend. No matter what we suffer through, there is hope and it doesn’t have to end.
Criterion Crunch Time will return next month with two new reviews of movies leaving the service!
