Greetings,
So, it's Tom Hiddleston's birthday today, apparently. How do I know this? One word: Twitter. Yes, it would seem that many of his fans have been preparing for this day for a while, making plans to celebrate in their own special ways. And when I say "special" I certainly don't mean "disturbing". At least, not in most cases, though I'm sure the disturbing ones exist. What were we talking about again? Oh, yeah. Hiddleston. Look, I am more than happy to admit that I am a great admirer of his work. I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that he cares a great deal about what he does, which makes him a rarity these days. Also, he likes books and poetry and he seems to be terrible at math, so we have some things in common. Back to his acting. Whilst many people know his from his work with Marvel (I plead the fifth on my feelings about that), he has done some great stuff outside of that "universe". Anyone who follows movie news will know that he has several upcoming projects, but today, I've decided to go back in time a bit to when he was merely on the cusp of the insane success that lay ahead. So, for my own special and hopefully not disturbing way of celebrating Tom's birthday, let's talk about Archipelago.
Archipelago is a 2010 film about a family on a vacation on the lovely island of Tresco, where they are forced to deal with some issues whilst there. The story is seen mostly through the eyes of Edward, the character that Tom plays. He is a young man about to head off to Africa in order to help with AIDS education. His mother, Patricia, played by Kate Fahy, seems to be proud of him and appears, at least, somewhat supportive. On the other hand, his sister, Cynthia, played by Lydia Leonard, does not exactly feel the same way. To say the very least. Hats off to this actress, by the way. She has mastered the art of being condescending. Oh, yeah. You sound really happy for him.
So, yes, there is quite a bit of anxiety on this family outing. There's clearly love, as well, but also tension. Some of it stemming from Cynthia's disdain for her brother's life choices; some of it from Edward's disappointment in not being able to invite his longtime girlfriend to what has been deemed a family trip. That's right, little brother. You cannot have your girlfriend of a year and a half on this trip to spend time with her before you leave for Africa for eleven months. She's not family. Besides, we need room for this artist guy who's going to teach mother to paint. Also, we've got the cook we hired even though there are only three of us here. Yeah, that happens. And I am rather okay with it because it lets us get some good performances from Christopher Baker and Amy Lloyd, who play Christopher the artist and Rose the cook, respectively.
Now there's not much I can tell you all about the plot, nor would I want to do so. See, this film is, in my opinion, far more character driven than plot driven. The happenings go from internal to external, with the people affecting their surroundings rather than the other way around, like many movies do. Frankly, I adore this method, and it seems like one that Joanna Hogg, the director, does quite well. When you gather up a great script and great actors to deliver it, you won't need a lot of other things getting in the way of the character development. And this film really is so much about these characters evolving and opening up about their feelings, for better or worse. I love that. I love getting into characters heads and seeing how they change and act based on little more than their reactions to each other. That is not an easy thing to do, and it certainly isn't an easy thing to do well. So, no problem where that is concerned.
And while we're here, I'd like to talk a little about the look of this film. According to my info, they shot it on location, and it is beautiful. It's realistically beautiful, to be precise. I mean, I have seen movies that are extremely gorgeous to a point where they appear a bit fake. Here, this looks like an actual place. An actual, lovely place, that you can go to and it will look exactly as you expect based on these visuals. I suppose the subtlety of them lends itself quite well to much of the subtlety contained in this film. Oh, and I love the house they shot in. It's so quaint. And when I say quaint, I also mean small. And when I say small, I mean it is kind of amusing to watch Tom have to duck to get through all the doorways. Perhaps, it's symbolism, like he just doesn't fit. Or something.
If it's not obvious, I am certainly recommending Archipelago. And not just to the Hiddlestoners. No, this is the kind of movie that everyone needs to watch in order to appreciate the art of exquisite film making, and so you can see how having a strong foundation can affect the work that is done. If you like a film with stellar acting, writing and directing, where you can sit there and slowly but surely get drawn in to the lives of the characters, this should definitely be on your To See list. It's actually one of my favorite movies, and it is definitely my favorite from our lovely, leading man.
So, once again, happy birthday to Tom Hiddleston. It's the least I can do for you, sir. No, I mean it. Writing something for/about you is literally the least I can do, since I cannot afford to get you that Jaguar that you have been so obviously hinting at.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
