A middle class family reunite at a holiday cottage on Tresco, one of the Scilly Isles. Tensions run high as the family await the arrival of the father, learn to paint and explore the island out of season. There is a lack of music soundtrack to this film; instead there is varied and beautiful bird song which contrasts with the quiet and limited encounters between the family members. The camera is extremely static and tonally the film is very neutral. We only learn of family developments and issues through their interactions with each other and their live-in cook, Rose, and their artist friend who teaches the mother, Patricia, and daughter, Cynthia, to paint. Shot in script order Archipelago is interesting filmmaking and I think deserves a second viewing. I was rather disappointed with the way Tresco is depicted, a truly magical place that looks rather mediocre in the film, but perhaps this is the viewpoint of the family? It is neither a tropical paradise nor a stormy dramatic landscape, both can be said of the Isles of Scilly, and it is this mundane middle-ground that is really focused on within the film.
There are moments of humour, generally centred around the son Edward, and at points I found myself getting lost in the family’s isolated world which is both physical and psychological. The film is perhaps a little self indulgent in parts but there are some genuinely great performances from the actors. Archipelago is a subtle and intelligent film but there doesn’t feel like there is enough depth and substance to the plot and what is played out on screen. There are moments where you feel like you are starting to get it and then they disappear again. I like to be completely absorbed in a film and unfortunately I wasn’t with this.
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