Contains mild spoilers
The Arbor tells the story of the late playwright Andrea Dunbar and her story up until her early death at 29. The film plays in a documentary format with recreations of her play The Arbor in between and it is in here that we really get a sense of just how autobiographical the play is. It is made well enough that we do not think it is interchanging quickly between these scenes that were difficult to watch further into the film given the continued context being made. Even halfway into the film I felt connected with it and didn't feel too rushed given the quite short run time. The rest of the film revolved around interviews with the people in her life, revolving round her family and portions of people on the estate. Even though actors were used on film they are actually lip syncing actual words spoken, a clever technique as it allowed them to open up more and made those words powerful. However it should not be expected that the film is all about Dunbar and does shift focus onto her children especially her daughter Lorraine who went through a traumatic time as a mixed race person growing up in a racially intolerant estate. Her story becomes just as relevant as Andrea's the more you hear about it. I was actually at a Q&A session with director Clio Barnard and this was highly intentional. The film was shot cleverly without being in a conventional documentary format with characters talking directly to camera. Real eye contact is made with the audience in this respect resonating even though it is played by actors.
In summary though this film is a difficult watch and I've only really scratched the surface in terms of what the film portrays. Really do check it out as it is a really moving story that stays in the mind greatly afterwards.
The Arbor tells the story of the late playwright Andrea Dunbar and her story up until her early death at 29. The film plays in a documentary format with recreations of her play The Arbor in between and it is in here that we really get a sense of just how autobiographical the play is. It is made well enough that we do not think it is interchanging quickly between these scenes that were difficult to watch further into the film given the continued context being made. Even halfway into the film I felt connected with it and didn't feel too rushed given the quite short run time. The rest of the film revolved around interviews with the people in her life, revolving round her family and portions of people on the estate. Even though actors were used on film they are actually lip syncing actual words spoken, a clever technique as it allowed them to open up more and made those words powerful. However it should not be expected that the film is all about Dunbar and does shift focus onto her children especially her daughter Lorraine who went through a traumatic time as a mixed race person growing up in a racially intolerant estate. Her story becomes just as relevant as Andrea's the more you hear about it. I was actually at a Q&A session with director Clio Barnard and this was highly intentional. The film was shot cleverly without being in a conventional documentary format with characters talking directly to camera. Real eye contact is made with the audience in this respect resonating even though it is played by actors.
In summary though this film is a difficult watch and I've only really scratched the surface in terms of what the film portrays. Really do check it out as it is a really moving story that stays in the mind greatly afterwards.