Archipelago (2010)

Critic Reviews

• Henry Fitzherbert, Daily Express

  Exposes the fault lines of a middle-class family on holiday.

• Philip French, Guardian [UK]

  Archipelago is a subtle film of sensed absences.

• Sophie Ivan, Film4

  A car-crash compelling, painfully comic distillation of modern British middle class mores.

• Derek Malcolm, This is London

  Hogg, though a fine film-maker, doesn't always prevent us feeling that these people are not worth worrying about.

• Helen Wright, The Skinny

  Is art the only way for the privileged to deal with their boredom and discontent? Hogg seems to be suggesting so.

• Tom Seymour, Little White Lies

  Hogg is inviting us to dismiss these people as fundamentally different to ourselves. But sat in a dark auditorium, we are merely laughing at each other.

• Peter Bradshaw, Guardian [UK]

  It's a difficult watch and a difficult sell, but this is quietly outstanding.

• Sukhdev Sandhu, Daily Telegraph

  No other British director is making films quite like this.

• David Parkinson, Radio Times

  Ed Rutherford's photography is superb, but this is a pale imitation of an Ingmar Bergman chamber drama.

• Lisa Giles-Keddie, Real.com

  Fascinating and confident film-making style of lengthy character improvisation ... a very slow burner that gives the opportunity to 'people watch' on screen.

• Nigel Andrews, Financial Times

  Archipelago is a sad, funny, wise film.

• Dave Calhoun, Time Out

  'Archipelago' confirms Hogg as a daring and mischievous artist, and a major British talent whose next move will be intriguing.

• David Parkinson, Empire Magazine

  A well-crafted affair elevated by terrific moments.

• Tom Dawson, Total Film

  British writer/director Joanna Hogg follows her debut Unrelated with another insightful, impressively acted study of upper-middle-class family friction.

• Nick Deigman, Fan The Fire

  Joanna Hogg is the shining light of the UK Film Industry. She has saved us from another embarrassing LFF, and she has done it all without the help of the incompetent UK Film Council.

Read all 15 critic reviews