Albatross

Leather clad tearaway and wannabe writer Emilia (Findlay) takes a job at a hotel on the South Coast run by the dysfunctional Fischer family. She forms an unlikely bond with Beth (Jones), the studious daughter, but is also taken under the wing of her father, Jonathan (Koch), a blocked author who sees in Emilia some of his lost talent. But soon their relationship becomes more than that of pupil and tutor, and they begin an affair.

Albatross is a nostalgic piece reminiscent of American teen movies of the 1980s, 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.

Sebastian Koch gives an impressive performance while Julia Ormond is a delight as his scornful wife, her fading beauty an acidic aftertaste. However, the film belongs to Findlay and Jones who have promising futures ahead of them. [Alan Bett]