BeSummers Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

Tayyab Torres Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Staci Frederick Blistering performances.

Dana An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

marieltrokan Inertness is graceful. Behaviour is weirdness. Inertness is a switch. Behaviour is a switch. A switch is graceful. A switch is weird. Gracefulness is an objective. Weirdness is an obstacle.A switch is an objective. A switch is an obstacle. An obstacle is a barrier. An objective is a future - a switch is both a future and a barrier.A future is a divide. A barrier is a divide. An objective is a divide. An obstacle is a divide. An objective is to create a divide. An obstacle is to create a divide. An obstacle is an intended violence. An objective is an intended harmony. An intended violence is an unintended harmony. An intended harmony is an unintended violence. An objective is to create an unintended violence. An obstacle is to create an unintended harmony. Unintended violence is a divide. Unintended harmony is a divide.A divide, is a force. An unintended violence is a force. An unintended harmony is a force. A force is violence. Unintended violence is violence. Unintended harmony is violence. Violence is unintended violence and unintended harmony being the same.Violence is symmetry. Non-violence is difference. Non-violence is unintended violence and unintended harmony being different. Harmony is unintended violence being intended harmony and it's unintended harmony being intended violence. Intentional peace means to create accidental violence - intentional violence means to create accidental peace.Accidental peace is better than accidental violence, and therefore the only sane objective in life is to not intend peace but to instead intend violence - which is why the 2011 film Albatross is an unworthy kind of product

TxMike Thus it is in this story. Jessica Brown Findlay is Emelia, and her last name is Conan Doyle. She fancies herself as the great granddaughter of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of the Sherlock Holmes character. This is her albatross, she expects great things of herself as a writer, but at 17 (actually in her 20s) she seems to be out of sorts, not happy with her writing or where her life is taking her.She needs to earn a living. Both her parents have died, she stays with her nice older grandparents. So she takes a menial job cleaning rooms at a local inn owned by a writer who once had a famous book some 20 years earlier.But there she meets the daughter of that family, Felicity Jones (actually in her 20s also) as 17-yr-old Beth, who is a rules- follower, unlike Emelia who knows no rule. They form a bond of sorts which eventually is strained when Emelia flirts with then begins an affair with Beth's author dad. Conveniently for this film, the age of consent in England is 16. Also the Isle of Man, where this was filmed.So the arc of the story involves Emelia getting the albatross off her neck, and the start was finding out her real last name was Doyle, and not actually related to the famous author. Interesting and often funny movie. I found it on Netflix streaming movies.

gradyharp Now and again a quiet little British movie pops up to remind us just how well the Brits know how to mix comedy and compassion. Such is the case with ALBATROSS, a gentle, sensitive tale written by Tazmin Rafn and directed by Niall MacCormick about a social misfit who imposes herself on a family in desperate need of a wakeup call. The film is blessed with a very fine cast (especially the blossoming of young actress Jessica Brown Findlay - remembered for her ongoing impressive role as Lady Sybil in 'Downton Abbey') and for the breathtaking scenery of the Isle of Man. There is comedy here to be sure but here are other lessons about family and friendship and relationships that are importantly placed in perspective.Cliff House is the Bed and Breakfast run by a dysfunctional family: the bitter mother Joa (Julia Ormond), her writer's block housebound husband Jonathan (Sebastian Koch) who wrote a book Cliff House 10 years ago and nothing since, bookish teenager Beth (Felicity Jones) and young Posy (Katie Overd). Into their lives pops Emelia, a rebellious, seductive and intelligent teenager whose sole claim to fame is her apparent ancestor Arthur Conan Doyle (she dreams of becoming a writer to carry on her legacy). Emelia takes a job as a cleaner at the B&B, befriends Beth - drawing her out of her mousy self perception in to the throes of early adulthood, begins an affair with Jonathan and gets scowled at by Joa. Emelia's only living family (her mother committed suicide recently) are her grandparents - Granny (Hazel Douglas) suffers from Alzheimer's Disease and Grandpa (the always superb actor Peter Vaughan - for whom she holds deep affection and caring.Beth is due to travel to Oxford for interview and despite the misgivings of Joa and the now lovesick Jonathan, Emelia accompanies Beth to the interview, there discovering the wilds of being raw and naughty. Upon return matters change: Granny dies, Emelia grieves, the affair between Emelia and Jonathan becomes open, and everything must change. The albatross of the title refers to the baggage each character carries, not just Emelia's name legacy The depth of friendships are tested - and survive.Without exception the cast is first rate - Ormond and Koch are already established stars and Jessica Brown Findlay and Felicity Jones prove they are on their way to become very important actresses. This is a beautiful little film to watch and to think about. It is a first class little Indie. Grady Harp

pturner1010 Introducing a new mega-star: Jessica Brown Findlay. Some films are destined to remain in the shadows of the stars they create. Albatross is one of those films.The story follows Emelia, a rebellious, seductive and intelligent teenager played by Brown Findlay. Taking a job as a cleaner at a guest house, Emelia befriends the teen daughter of the house, begins an affair with the husband and gets scowled at by the wife and mother of the family who live there.Alternating between comedy and drama, the film has an awkward tone. The writer Tamzin Rafn claims it was written as a comedy but there are only occasional really funny moments. Instead, it is the drama that is more gripping with a range of characters who are trapped in miserable lives in a beautiful but dead-end location. Filmed with a great eye for scenery on the breathtaking coast of the Isle of Man by director of photography Jan Jonaeus, the narrative takes in the kids on the beaches, the family in the guest house and most notably Emelia and new friend Beth. But these disparate people all appear confined and resigned to unfulfilling and disappointing existences.Emelia's snarky way with words brightens and amuses what could be a depressing film. There are laughs to be had and there is hope for a better life for many of the characters, but the film is dealing with some serious issues like Alzheimer's, suicide and unfulfilled potential. Perhaps director Niall MacCormick saw an opportunity to inject more drama into what could have been a fluffier lightweight British comedy and went for it.The cast are all excellent, Sebastan Koch all guilty nervous ticks, Julia Ormond neglected, spiteful and probably the saddest character in the story. But Felicity Jones and Jessica Brown Findlay carry the weight of the film and are believable opposites, angel and devil, bookworm and loose cannon. Brown Findlay particularly shines with comic delivery of vicious put-downs but also scenes of more hefty emotional weight. It is the moments spent with Emelia's grand parents that help to explain the actions of this troubled young woman and will keep audiences sympathising with what could have been a one-dimensional typical teen tearaway.See it for the scenery, the performances and for the drama. Witness the making of a star! Writer Tamzin Rafn and star Jessica Brown Findlay attended a screening and answered questions from the assembled audience on Monday (03/10/11) night. Thanks to LoveFilm as always for another great opportunity to hear from the people involved.