2010 THE ARBOR (Clio Barnard)
After repeat viewings,The Arbor has now achieved canonical status. It is described on IMdb in this order: "documentary, biography, drama". Ms. Barnard received an award for "best documentary filmmaker" at Tribeca in 2010 but most scenes in the film use actors and other scenes are excerpted from adaptations of fictional, albeit partly autobiographical, material written by Andrea Dunbar (1961-1990). The most arresting scenes include actors lip-synching to the actual voices of Dunbar's daughters and other relatives. The effect is uncanny and revelatory. This eminently self-conscious film provides fresh perspectives on the so-called kitchen-sink realism and provides insight into the complex relationship between representation and documentation. Ms. Barnard's second film, The Selfish Giant is entirely fictional.