The Tribe

In a time when T.V programmes are either shoddy new ideas or made-over remakes of old classics it's nice to see something fresh, controversial and brilliant. The `Tribe' is probably the finest, original and engaging T.V film drama to make it's way on to our T.V screens in years. Written and directed by one masterful Stephen Poliakoff, the man behind such classics as, among others, the T.V series `Shooting the Past' and the excellent film ` Close my eyes', here comes the greatest, and sadly winner of no awards, T.V film of 1998. The `tribe' has one rare thing most T.V films now lack, a decent script. It's with this script he helps paint his vivid image of an underworld of modern suburbia in which a bizarre cult live, oblivious to the decaying and messed up world around them. They create their own world with their own rules to which Jamie has to learn to accept before he can even begin to understand them and their ways. It is also through Poliakoff's beautifully handled direction which he helps to create his dream like world where fantasy and fiction more often than not collide and slowly merge in to one. It is also in Poliakoff's use of a `Lock, Stock' style yellow filter which helps enforce the films dream like narrative and gives the film a feel which can only be compared to Stanly Kubricks final master work `Eyes Wide Shut'. But it is really down to the acting which really bring Stephen Poliakoff's film to life. Jeremy Northam and Anna Friel turn in excellent performances as usual as the property developer and the girl who seduces him. But it's Joely Richardson's `tour de force' performance which really steals the show. Her character is complex, powerful yet physically naked as we see what her real life is like outside of the one she created. She lives with her mother and father who couldn't really care less about her. It is for this reason she has created her own world where the troubles of everyday life are non-existent. The whole cult live in the centre of a big city yet are so detached from the other people who in-habit the city they feel truly free.This can be seen in the hippie symbolism at the beginning of the film. It is because of these such deep and complex story lines that I feel Stephen Poliakoff is the second greatest person working on T.V today, the first being Chris Morris. As this film was never released on tape means it is hard to find. But it is worth checking out if you can get hold of a copy as you will be in for a real treat.

This film is about a concept which most people don't tend to think about: how could a group of people isolate themselves from surroundings which they don't like and manage to lead a paradisiac life? Admittedly the story is sometimes a bit silly, but if you complain about these things you're missing the point, which is about how willing people might be to leave their current life, job, wife, etc. I really liked this film, and it's a shame it's not available to buy.

I feel this movie was an unusual look at tolerance, greed and peolpe's willingness to stick by each other, and how outside influences can kill a tribe , much like the missionaries did to the native populations in certain areas of the world.

Dropped from a theatrical release and shown late on BBC2, 'The Tribe' iso one of the 150 films made each year in Britain which fails at the distribution hurdle. Which is a shame, because as an experience there are few films as strange, tingly and beautiful.

A reluctant Northam finds himself in the position of having to evict a long standing cult from a fabulous piece of real estate. He is amazed to find a group of people who seem to be happy to live within on the edges of society, who are happy with their own company but happy to use the world around them from nature to people as they see fit. As he is drawn into their world he finds that he can only be the agent of its destruction.

It's a theme which in many ways was covered a little more successfully in 'Pleasantville' and in countless films about rain forests. Working better in this film is the theme of the outsider in society - the twist being how much like them we would like to be. Years before 'The Matrix' we have people in long black coats striding arrogantly through their landscape, through city parks and the inner city. The bystanders look on with a mixture of discust and envy.

Richardson offers an enigmatic performance, as do the other 'are you in it too?' members of the tribe. Like Northam we don't know who they are and its at only very infrequent moments that we see the cracks below their reserve. By offering such understated performances, we find ourselves trying to reflect into them. Our imaginations try to work out their former lives.

Whilst we know the ending is innevitable, like the lead character we are happy to be taken along for the ride . . .

The Tribe, without a doubt is a fantastic piece of screenplay. I think drama's of this quality are few and far between and all concerned in its creation, including actors / actresses should take pride in the work that has been produced and directed masterfully. Despite numerous emails to the BBC in London, they still declare that they have no plans to release this work either as video or DVD media. This is such a shame for now we are bound to have to wait for the repeat which may never come.