The lives of the late Bradford playwright Andrea Dunbar and Lorraine, one of her daughters, and the community of Bradford, in the 30 years since the 18-year-old Andrea penned a play about growing up in the community titled "The Arbor".
Direction
Barnard's lip-sync technique turns documentary into something uncannily theatrical.
Acting
Performers channel real people with eerie precision — no improvisation, all possession.
Writing
Andrea Dunbar's raw plays collide with her family's contested memories.
Director
Clio Barnard
Christine Bottomley
Lisa Thompson
Manjinder Virk
Lorraine Dunbar
Natalie Gavin
The Girl
George Costigan
Jimmy 'The Wig'
Monica Dolan
Ann Hamilton
Neil Dudgeon
Steve Saul
Jimi Mistry
Yousaf
Robert Emms
Young David
Kate Rutter
The Mother
Danny Webb
Max Stafford-Clark / The Father
Matthew McNulty
Andrew Dunbar
Kathryn Pogson
Pamela Dunbar
Jonathan Jaynes
David Dunbar
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Andrea Dunbar's play 'Rita, Sue and Bob Too' became a controversial 1987 film; she died of a brain hemorrhage at 29, just before its release.
Barnard invented the 'verbatim film' technique here — actors studied audio recordings until they could perfectly match every breath and stumble, creating a documentary where nobody on camera actually speaks.
GB
