Abi and Doug (Pike and Tennant) are frazzled London parents who are driving north to the Scottish Highlands to celebrate the 75th birthday of Doug's father Gordy (Connolly). They've instructed their three precocious children Lottie, Mickey and Jess (Jones, Smalldridge and Turnbull) to refrain from discussing the breakdown of their marriage. Meanwhile, Gordy is avoiding conversations about his terminal cancer. And Doug's brother Gavin (Miller) and his wife Margaret (Bullmore) are also shying away from their own recent past. Then while the kids are at the beach with Gordy, the holiday takes a surprising turn.

Where this story goes is pretty startling, mainly because it centres on three children under 10 years of age, played to perfection by young actors who create utterly believable characters. Watching them dismiss the secrets and lies of the grown-ups is eerily truthful, but the film has such a breezy tone that laughter is the instant, most natural response. Meanwhile, the adult cast gets on with the broader comedy, carefully walking the line between character-based humour and goofy farce.

Filmmakers Hamilton and Jenkin have packed the script with ideas, some of which feel a little forced. Crosbie's lesbian ostrich farmer, provides a pointed lesson as well as a decent running gag. Imrie's social services investigator is perhaps a bit too knowing and wise if recent headlines are to be believed. But all of this dovetails together nicely to maintain a comical tone while meaningfully revealing much darker undercurrents.

And then there's the setting itself, as the expansive Highlands landscapes provide a gorgeous backdrop for the story as well as a sense of history that feeds into the story's resonant themes about family connections. In the end, the film's message is perhaps a little too obvious (and possibly glib considering the subject matter), but the cast and crew manage to avoid any hint of melodrama or sentimentality along the way, which makes the conclusion both moving and memorable.

themes, language

27.May.14