'What We Did On Our Holiday' - Weekly Film Notes By: Unknown 2 comments

PRODUCED IN: 2013 - 2014

RELEASED IN: 26th September 2014 (UK); 10th July 2015 (US)

TYPE: Feature film

GENRE: Comedy Drama

CERTIFICATE: 12a

RUNNING TIME: 95 minutes

FILMING LOCATIONS: Scotland, (UK)

LANGUAGE: English

DIRECTED BY: Andy Hamilton; Guy Jenkin

PRODUCED BY: Norman Merry; Suzanne Reid; Ed Rubin; David M. Thompson; Dan Winch; Andrew Orr; Joanie Blaikie; Andrew Boswell; Peter Hampden; Zygi Kamasa

WRITTEN BY: Andy Hamilton; Guy Jenkin

PRODUCTION COMPANIES: BBC Films; Lipsync Productions; Origin Pictures

DISTRIBUTED BY: Lionsgate

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Martin Hawkins

EDITING: Steve Tempia; Mark Williams

MUSIC BY: Alex Heffes

KEY CAST MEMBERS: David Tennant; Rosamund Pike; Billy Connolly

AWARDS:
Won: London Critics Circle Film Awards 2015 (ALFS Award) (Rosamund Pike for British Actress of the Year)
Nominated: Valladolid International Film Festival 2014 (Golden Spike) (Andy Hamilton & Guy Jenkin for best film )

BUDGET: £3,000,000

BOX OFFICE: $8,400,000

THEMES: Children; Family; Relationships; Marriage; Life & Death; Mortality; Lies & Secrets; Dysfunctional family

NARRATIVE:

Doug, Abi and their three children travel to the Scottish Highlands for Doug's father Gordie's birthday party, where it is soon made clear that when it comes to keeping their secrets, well, a secret, their children are their biggest liability.

From nine year old Lottie using her notebook to keep track of the lies they have to tell, to four year old Jess's perverse attachment to a brick named norman, the parents are kept on tender hooks during what seems like the longest week of their lives.

But it's middle child mickey and his granddad's shared passion for all things 'Viking' that gives rise to the most far-reaching and unexpected consequences, when the children take matters into their own hands after an eventful day at the beach.

KEY SCENES:

• Their arrival.
• The beach/funeral scene. 
• The scene where the media are harassing them.
• The final scene.

COMPARABLES:

In comparison to other british films I have watched recently, for example 'Fish Tank' and 'Wasp' directed by Andrea Arnold, it is interesting to note just how different British Films can be and how a certain area, in this case, Britain, can be represented in a positive or negative light depending on the Producers intentions for the film and their desired audience reaction.

These differences include the geographical location; 'What we did on our holiday' being set in the beautiful, desolate Scottish highlands, compared to the crowded Tilbury council estate in 'Fish Tank'. These are two completely contrasting locations however they are both set in the UK and produced by BBC Films. Additionally, the social class of the characters in the two films is also a contrasting factor. For in 'What we did on our holiday' the family seem to be of a comfortable middle class; holding an expensive looking birthday party, in an expensive looking house and infact, going on holiday at all. Whereas in 'Fish Tank' the protagonist's family are quite clearly a lower working, or even under class family. This is demonstrated not only by their place of residence, a cramped council flat, but also by their clothing, baggy tracksuits and hoop earrings and use of slang, swearing and other colloquial language.

On the other hand however, there are also similarities between this film and those of Andrea Arnold, one would be the fact that in both 'What we did on our holiday' and 'Wasp' the idea of children being left to their own devices, with an opportunity to takes matters into their own hands and subsequently lead to disastrous consequences is a key part of the narrative. This could therefore suggest that no matter where you are geographically, or of what social class you belong, children will always be children, and every family, will always be, to an extent, dysfunctional.

OTHER:

The film inspired by but not related to the BBC's show 'Outnumbered' which was also directed by Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin.