Synopsis
The lives of the late Bradford playwright Andrea Dunbar and Lorraine, one of her daughters, and the community of Bradford, in the 30 years since the 18-year-old Andrea penned a play about growing up in the community titled "The Arbor".
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Cast
- Christine BottomleyLisa Thompson
- Manjinder VirkLorraine Dunbar
- Natalie GavinThe Girl
- George CostiganJimmy 'The Wig'
- Monica DolanAnn Hamilton
- Neil DudgeonSteve Saul
- Jimi MistryYousaf
- Robert EmmsYoung David
- Kate RutterThe Mother
- Danny WebbMax Stafford-Clark / The Father
Recommendations
- 100
Variety
Dramatically spellbinding and intellectually stimulating, picture abstractly manipulates multiple layers of representation to shattering effect. - 100
IndieWire
The cumulative impact of The Arbor is one of claustrophobia; at times, the endlessly downbeat adventures of Dunbar and her offspring grow almost unbearably morose. - 100
Boston Globe
An innovative hybrid of documentary, staged reading, fictional feature, and confessional, The Arbor defies categorization not merely for art's sake - although its artistry is without question - but because conventional forms seem inadequate for such a harrowing story. - 91
The A.V. Club
It helps that the actors' faces are so mesmerizing, particularly Manjinder Virk as Lorraine. - 90
The New York Times
Like a Ken Loach drama stripped to bare bones, The Arbor springs to life in the bright bitterness of Dunbar's prose, showcased in alfresco performances of contentious scenes from the play. - 80
Empire
Moving, bold, unconventional and impeccably staged, The Arbor is a worthy tribute to a powerfully artistic voice. - 80
Time Out
The Arbor's pummeling second half begins with the collapse of its celebrity subject; the following spirals of self-destruction make you suspect that some childhoods are simply too hard to escape. Tough, worthy stuff. - 80
Village Voice
Barnard makes the psychological mayhem Dunbar endured and inflicted tangible.
