Scouring 100 years of footage from the BFI National Archive, BAFTA-winner Paul Wright constructs an exhilarating study of Britain’s shifting – and contradictory – relationship to the land. Through an intoxicating array of material, we follow an unnamed protagonist as she travels through the metaphorical ‘seasons’, taking in folk carnivals and fetes, masked parades, water divining, and harvesting. Set to a grand, expressive new score from Adrian Utley (Portishead) and Will Gregory (Goldfrapp) alongside folk music from the likes of Anne Briggs, Wright’s captivating film essay was conceived before Brexit, but it’s impossible not to see the film through its prism.
★★★★ “Paul Wright’s flickering montage is an absorbing odyssey… a seductive piece of work. Approach it as you might a rich and strange piece of music.” – The Guardian
“There’s an authentic and highly personal artistry at work here that’s surely to be cherished.” Sight & Sound
“Arcadia is a real visual and aural experience in folk horror, a multi layered, visual dark hymn of our country, what it was and how its wondrous fantastical nature could be forever lost.” We Are Cult
Excited for Arcadia? Hear our review in the June film podcast. Chat starts at the 11.50 in…