This movie is an utter mess and pretty much one giant long awkward silence. The most boring thing I've ever seen, unless you're particularly entertained by one woman losing her mind over undercooked meat, a family being unable to decide where to sit in a restaurant, or some guy talking about how the height of his life's excitement is going to Africa to teach people about safe sex. The whole movie is a compilation of awkward moments and conversations you dread in your everyday life. Also, what even happened in this movie? I feel bad for the chef lady because I don't feel like she knows either. She's constantly being forced into awkward conversations and pulling random backstory out of her butt. Why did this movie happen.

I'm not sure why this film was made. I don't see the point. I felt no empathy with, or interest in, any of the characters - because we never learnt anything about any of them during the course of this seemingly endless account of a familys' holiday to a desolate, rock strewn island.The conversation is tedious and I couldn't imagine spending more than an hour with any one of them without wanting to hurl myself off one of the many available cliffs.The script, if there ever was one, is clumsy and lumbering. The shots of the views are lingering and trail after the characters as they wander up a hill, or down a hill, or along a coast, or gape at a shellfish or gaze at shellfish cooking. At one point it was pointed out that shellfish cooking by a particular method fall into a coma ... I know how they felt.Do people like this really exist ? I sincerely hope not.

If you have no expectation upon watching a movie, you are free to be impressed, touched or left blank of impression.This is a straight forward movie wrapped in the simplicity of real life depicted with brilliant realism. No fancy above the common mortal sort of thing. The dialogue is refreshing in it's simplicity, the interactions between the characters are what most every common family could relate to; criticism, estrangement as one grows older and becomes their own self, versus the memory of what others had of him/her.Actress Lydia Leonard is particularly vibrant in the interpretation of her role and one could only feel sympathy for Tom Hiddleston's most natural Edward as he tries to be nice to everyone while remaining true to himself. The mother, soft and shy Kate Fahy inspires the greater amount of sympathy as she tries to build bridges between the various characters. Amy Lloyd in the role of the cook Rose brings a bit of sunlight in the otherwise "bleak" and cold windy atmosphere, which I have to underline is brilliantly captured, especially through the eyes of Christopher Baker and as he interprets reality around him.

I loved this film. It is an absolute deadpan satire, dry, wry and very sly. And it made me laugh out loud, which is quite unusual... I don't know how much of the dialogue is improvised, but it is spot-on. The performances are stunning and the lighting, camera-work and composition are beautiful. I love the way the camera keeps its distance for so much of film before moving in close. You could turn the sound off and just watch this film for the pleasure of the visuals alone.One reviewer mentioned Tarkovsky; comparisons are odious I know, but I just have to add that it reminded me of Antonioni – and for me it doesn't get any better than that.I'm surprised how many reviewers seem to miss the point of this film completely. For me, it was like those old Magic Eye pictures: you could of course look at it and not really see anything, but change your focus a little and this amazing hidden gem appears.It's not all subtle sarcastic send-up either, I think the picture has a real heart, and it's all the more moving when it is eventually revealed.Great moments? There are tons. Here are three: The Cook carefully wrapping up her knives, as much like a surgeon as a chef, dissection over perhaps, or time to stop the stabbing. The role of the Cook is excellent: the witness to it all, the presence of the director/writer perhaps. The hand puppet round the door is a brilliant scene, loaded, as is so much of this film. Christopher's lines to Edward who is looking at his painting, a quick look at the Blues, a statement of intent from the writer, a great bit of improv? It finishes: "I quite like that blue: Joyous". Cut. Superb.It is a real shame a film of this quality is rated 5-point-something. It's a great piece of work and it deserves proper recognition.If you hated this film I would urge you to watch it again; if you haven't seen it you really should.