'Albatross' directed by Niall MacCormick

Albatross brings back the stunning British actrees Felicity Jones in another Lolita tale set in the Isle of Man. A secondary school dropout named Emelia begins working at a local B&B owned by a German writer named Jonathan Fischer. Jonathan is married to Joa and has two daughters, Beth and Posy. The teenage Beth befriends Emelia and the two girls begin to enjoy what they can of a life in a place with no prospects. We later learn that Emelia is an orphan. Her mother committed suicide and her father is nowehere to be found. She lives with her grandparents and hopes for very little.

Beth is the complete opposite of Emelia. She is entering medical school at Oxford. Despite their different destinies Beth and Emelia offer one another what is missing. Emelia is inspired to write a book and Beth explores her wild side at a nearby pub in Oxford. When Beth's father takes an interest in Emelia their inappropriate romance starts to take a turn for the worst. Then Emelia’s grandmother dies and her relationship with Jonathan is revealed and it ends her friendship with Beth.

What is disturbing in all the plot lines is the lack of guilt exhibited by Emelia. Her duplicity and lack of shame only heightens the inevitable drama and family destruction she helps cause. Jonathan is no better. The stable life of a family man is simply not for him as he seeks to relive his youth with his daughter’s best friend. Sometimes artists are just not like the rest of us. They have their own rules that change with their moods. Certainly that seems to be the case in this plot. Albatross falls into the category of another May-December romance. It’s always the female who is underage and who sometimes benefits from bringing down an older man. The story is treated well. Emelia does get on to more productive activities but she loses much in the process. If you liked 2009’s Fish Tank, you will love Albatross.