The Tribe
by Stephen Poliakoff
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Anna Friel, Jeremy Northam, Joely Richardson, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Laura FraserDirector: Stephen Poliakoff
Brand: Tango
Writer: Stephen Poliakoff
Producer: Simon Curtis
Producer: George Faber
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Color, Digital Sound, Dolby, DVD, Full length, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 105 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-07-25
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Tango Entertainment
Movie Reviews of The Tribe
Movie Review: Under-played and under-rated
Summary: 5 Stars
Like many, I first became aware of this made-for-TV movie due to all the hype over Anna Friel's nude scene. And if that's what you want to watch it for, well, you'll get what you want, and very pretty it is too. But after that, there's actually a very engaging story.
*Slight Spoilers Ahead*
The gist of the story is that Jamie (Jeremy Northam) is tasked by his overbearing boss with driving out the legitimate tenants of a building that the boss wishes to redevelop. The tenants appear to be some sort of cult: they stride around as a group in black-trenchcoat style (remember, this was released a year before The Matrix), are feared by the local ruffians, and make their living selling top-of-the-range electronic goods at criminally cheap prices. Jamie sets out to discover their secret: are they indeed criminals, are they a religious cult, are they into drugs, or what? And the secret is - that there is no secret. The movie is essentially about the gently charismatic and well-intentioned Emily (Joely Richardson) who sets up a community with a different way of life. There are no drugs; the goods are obtained legitimately from a Japanese businessman who has a crush (either romantic or ideological) on Emily; and while there is a certain sexual freedom (that gives Ms Friel the opportunity for her legendary scene), it is by no means a sex cult.
What the community offers its members more than anything else is safety; safety built on an illusion maintained by Emily. When this illusion starts to crack, so does the community - and so, to some extent, does Emily herself. Astute at puncturing the image of a rival 'cult' leader, she fails to realise when she is about to do the same to herself. It is left to Jamie to try and salvage something of the utopia he thinks he's found.
More than anything else, this movie reminded me of The Beach; although very different in tone and setting, it comes across as a study of an alternative community combating the alienation and insecurities of modern urban life. More importantly, it describes the key people in the community, and their reactions to the pressures both of 'the real world' and of human nature. It drew me in not by unexpected plot twists, but by unexpectedly avoiding plot twists; although the story is engaging, it's more a portrait movie than plot-driven, and many loose ends and back-stories are left deliberately untied and unfilled without detracting from the overall pleasure of it.
There's nothing spectacular about the acting, directing, or camera-work; it's all subtle, understated and simply allows the story to unfold. Rather like a Greek tragedy, only the central character has any great depth, and Joely Richardson does a superb job of bringing her to life.
I enjoyed this movie much more than I expected; it's a great pity it has still only been released in Region 1 (US) and not in its native UK. It's original, it's thought-provoking, and I thoroughly recommend it.
Summary of The Tribe
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