I watched this movie because I'm a fan of the director, Niall MacCormick - whose career I've tried to follow after I was impressed by his work on Toby Whithouse's series, "The Game" on BBC2.
I admit this to provide context & to justify why I'm probably a bit lenient with my review but whilst I can forgive most of Albatross' flaws & tonal inconsistencies (due to the bags of sheer personality it possesses, the outstanding performances from Felicity Jones & Jessica Brown Findlay - who have phenomenal on-screen chemistry together - & the enjoyable sense of humour the film has), I am undeniably aggravated by the extremely unfortunate ending - which fails to satisfyingly acknowledge the gravity of the situation & who's in the wrong here; the father.
Thus, I do feel as though they do a disservice to victims of sexual abuse by placing responsibility on the shoulders of the victims of predation, rather than the perpetrators with their depiction; Emilia is unforgiven whilst Beth's dad is, even though the scenario which unfolded involved one fully grown adult (who's culpable & should be held accountable) & another character who's a child, by her own admission... Yet the minor bears the weight of that responsibility & has to accept the consequences when Jonathan doesn't?
The reasons for this creative decision are probably obvious; those at the helm were seemingly intent on retaining the light heartedness in its final few moments & veering in to such uncomfortable territory would've taken the final act in to a much darker direction. Hence, they opted to conclude with a bitter-sweet sense of poignancy; two friends going their separate ways, changed somewhat by their shared experiences captured here etc. But intentionally ignoring the elephant in the room feels careless & reckless, sending completely the wrong message to audiences - potentially ruining what could've been a really great movie, had it had the guts to do what was right & call out his behaviour for what it really is.
A well-intentioned indie flick, but tainted somewhat by this, nonetheless.
I admit this to provide context & to justify why I'm probably a bit lenient with my review but whilst I can forgive most of Albatross' flaws & tonal inconsistencies (due to the bags of sheer personality it possesses, the outstanding performances from Felicity Jones & Jessica Brown Findlay - who have phenomenal on-screen chemistry together - & the enjoyable sense of humour the film has), I am undeniably aggravated by the extremely unfortunate ending - which fails to satisfyingly acknowledge the gravity of the situation & who's in the wrong here; the father.
Thus, I do feel as though they do a disservice to victims of sexual abuse by placing responsibility on the shoulders of the victims of predation, rather than the perpetrators with their depiction; Emilia is unforgiven whilst Beth's dad is, even though the scenario which unfolded involved one fully grown adult (who's culpable & should be held accountable) & another character who's a child, by her own admission... Yet the minor bears the weight of that responsibility & has to accept the consequences when Jonathan doesn't?
The reasons for this creative decision are probably obvious; those at the helm were seemingly intent on retaining the light heartedness in its final few moments & veering in to such uncomfortable territory would've taken the final act in to a much darker direction. Hence, they opted to conclude with a bitter-sweet sense of poignancy; two friends going their separate ways, changed somewhat by their shared experiences captured here etc. But intentionally ignoring the elephant in the room feels careless & reckless, sending completely the wrong message to audiences - potentially ruining what could've been a really great movie, had it had the guts to do what was right & call out his behaviour for what it really is.
A well-intentioned indie flick, but tainted somewhat by this, nonetheless.