Albatross

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Movie Info

Directed by BAFTA-nominated Niall MacCormick (Margaret Thatcher: The Long Road to Finchley), Albatross is a funny and moving coming-of-age story starring Sebastian Koch (The Lives of Others, Black Book), Felicity Jones (Cemetery Junction), Julia Ormond (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) and newcomer Jessica Brown-Findlay, a leading light in Screen International's prestigious UK Stars of Tomorrow list. My Summer of Love meets An Education, the film tells the story of a family whose world is turned upside down when the beautiful and rebellious Emelia explodes into their lives. -- (C) Official Site

Rating:

NR
Genre:

Art House & International, Comedy, Drama
Directed By:

Niall MacCormick
Written By:

Tamzin Rafn
In Theaters:

Jan 13, 2012 limited
On Disc/Streaming:

Apr 24, 2012
Runtime:

89 minutes
Studio:

Sundance Selects

Cast

Jessica Brown Findlay
as Emelia

Sebastian Koch
as Jonathan

Julia Ormond
as Joa

Peter Vaughan
as Grandpa

Felicity Jones
as Beth

Harry Treadaway
as Jake

Thomas Sangster
as Mark

Hazel Douglas
as Grandma

Katie Overd
as Posey

Alexis Zegerman
as Manager

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News & Interviews for Albatross

Critics Consensus: Contraband (Sort Of) Delivers

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Critic Reviews for Albatross

All Critics (25) | Top Critics (7) | Fresh (13) | Rotten (12)

Charmingly low-key, the British coming-of-age drama "Albatross" offsets slack plotting with creative casting and sensitive performances.

Jan 12, 2012 | Rating: 3/5

Jeannette Catsoulis
New York Times
Top Critic
The lack of subtlety makes the story's familiar beats only more obvious.

Jan 12, 2012 | Rating: 4.5/10 | Full Review…

Ian Buckwalter
NPR
Top Critic
The performances are compelling (although Jones is underused) but the thin narrative is less instructive of the strange way female friendships operate than of the way stories get recycled.

Jan 12, 2012 | Full Review…

Mary F. Pols
TIME Magazine
Top Critic
Albatross shifts from indie fairy tale to farce, only to accept its fate as a coming-of-age melodrama.

Jan 10, 2012 | Full Review…

Michelle Orange
Village Voice
Top Critic
Innocence is lost -- as well as 90 minutes of your precious, precious time.

Jan 10, 2012 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review…

David Fear
Time Out
Top Critic
It's an interesting premise; though despite being evidently autobiographical in origin, the fictional treatment has made it look sentimental and unreal.

Oct 13, 2011 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review…

Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
Top Critic
A bland, half-hearted attempt at humor and teenage angst that ultimately never gets off the ground.

Aug 5, 2019 | Rating: 1/4 | Full Review…

Matthew Lucas
From the Front Row
Although it may lack the rawness or intensity of an engagingly slick drama, Albatross is charming and peppered with good humour.

Nov 30, 2018 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

Amy Wadsworth
CineVue
To see such a talented array of actors working in unison with such a sincere, witty and multi-faceted script is an utter pleasure.

Aug 13, 2018 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

Jamie Neish
HeyUGuys
There are dimensions to Emelia that are welcome, but often rudely condensed by director Niall McCormick, who burns through the picture in 85 minutes, never lingering long enough on domestic tension or behavioral awareness.

Feb 29, 2012 | Rating: C | Full Review…

Brian Orndorf
BrianOrndorf.com
A serving of teenage angst with a side order of syrup which, like the films of John Hughes, treats both characters and audience with respect and affection.

Jan 26, 2012 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

Alan Bett
The Skinny
Newcomer Brown Findlay brings some laughs and energy to an otherwise predictable tale of family strife that is modestly compelling but ultimately forgettable.

Jan 20, 2012 | Full Review…

Todd Jorgenson
Cinemalogue

View All Critic Reviews (25)

Audience Reviews for Albatross

Sep 05, 2013

"Albatross" starts with a kiss between Emilia Conan Doyle(Jessica Brown Findlay) and Jake(Harry Treadaway) before the firecrackers. That explains why Emilia gets to ride in a police car on the way to her first day of work as a maid at a guesthouse where Beth(Felicity Jones) is tending the front desk while studying, so her dad(Sebastian Koch) can pretend he is writing upstairs while actually masturbating. So, it is a surprise to Beth's mother(Julia Ormond) that Emilia gets invited round to dinner, to which she brings a bottle of wine that she flashed her ID for. "Albatross" starts promisingly enough but then stalls in a sea of quirkiness. That's not to mention going the old tired route of a disruptive force introduced to a family going nowhere and liberating everybody. And with predictable results. Plus stereotypes. The writing angle might have had a chance if played correctly which it isn't as it is thrown to the curbside in the most desultory manner imaginable. Instead, it seems all the characters are suffering under the weight of the past, especially Beth who has to deal with her parents. However, the actors do a good job trying to breathe life into such cliches while very much out of their usual comfort zones. Nice scenery, though.

Walter M Super Reviewer
Nov 06, 2012

Decent movie. A little slow. Nice ending...

Cynthia S Super Reviewer
Oct 10, 2012

Excellent movie free spirited girl meets strictly raised girl and the fun begins, all while the free spirited girl has an affair with girls father, my review sucks the movie is outstanding, a must see. 5 stars 10-1-12

Bruce B Super Reviewer
Apr 29, 2012

Albatross is your basic coming-of-age story made only slightly less average by a young and strong female cast of Jessica Brown-Findlay and Felicity Jones, both of whom remain in control of their performances.

Christopher H Super Reviewer