Doc Soup March - The Arbor

Doc Soup – THE ARBOR

Hot Docs is pleased to announce that the March installment of the Doc Soup monthly screening series will feature the Canadian premiere of THE ARBOR, winner of the Best New Documentary Filmmaker award at the Tribeca Film Festival.

THE ARBOR will screen on Wednesday, March 2, at 6:30 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. at the Bloor Cinema. Filmmaker Clio Barnard will be in attendance to introduce the film and answer audience questions following the screening. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit http://www.hotdocs.ca/docsoup.

Capsule Review:-

THE ARBOR (UK 2010) ****
Directed by Clio Barnard

THE ARBOR is best described as a biographical documentary of British dramatist Andrea Dunbar and her family.  She became famous from her plays, that were praised for their wit and perception that depicted the hard cruel life of their housing estate called the arbour in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England.  Andrea Dubar grew up with seven siblings in suburban housing estate Bafferton Arbor in Bradford, England. At the age of 15 in the early 1960s she began writing her first play “The Arbor” which described the experiences of a pregnant teenager who was abused by her drunken father. Her first play had its premiere at The Royal Court Theater in London 1980.  One thing to note is that THE ARBOR is not really a documentary but a true story shot doc style.  Real actors lip sync the words of the film’s characters.

But THE ARBOR is a totally engrossing piece of work, as the social problems of the poor and abused are downright heartbreaking.  The drinking, drug adduction, racial prejudices all rear their ugly heads.  Director Barnard also has surprises (or shocks rather) up her sleeve that jolts the audience out of their seats for their sheer horror and inhumanity.  But at least Sunbar’s excellent plays and this film have come out of all these woes.