The Arbor

The Arbor

94 mins | Documentary | Oct. 22, 2010

Portrayal of the late Bradford playwright Andrea Dunbar. Andrea Dunbar wrote honestly and unflinchingly about her upbringing on the notorious Buttershaw Estate in Bradford and was described as ‘a genius straight from the slums.’ When she died tragically at the age of 29 in 1990, Lorraine was just ten years old. The Arbor revisits the Buttershaw Estate where Dunbar grew up, thirty years on from her original play, telling the powerful true story of the playwright and her daughter Lorraine. Also aged 29, Lorraine had become ostracised from her mother’s family and was in prison undergoing rehab. Re-introduced to her mother’s plays and letters, the film follows Lorraine’s personal journey as she reflects on her own life and begins to understand the struggles her mother faced.

The Arbor

94 mins | Documentary | Oct. 22, 2010

The Arbor
Portrayal of the late Bradford playwright Andrea Dunbar. Andrea Dunbar wrote honestly and unflinchingly about her upbringing on the notorious Buttershaw Estate in Bradford and was described as ‘a genius straight from the slums.’ When she died tragically at the age of 29 in 1990, Lorraine was just ten years old. The Arbor revisits the Buttershaw Estate where Dunbar grew up, thirty years on from her original play, telling the powerful true story of the playwright and her daughter Lorraine. Also aged 29, Lorraine had become ostracised from her mother’s family and was in prison undergoing rehab. Re-introduced to her mother’s plays and letters, the film follows Lorraine’s personal journey as she reflects on her own life and begins to understand the struggles her mother faced.
IMDb rating 7.3
Producers UK Film Council, Artangel Media
Original title The Arbor
Directors Clio Barnard
Writers

Cast

Christine Bottomley

as Lisa Thompson

Manjinder Virk

as Lorraine Dunbar

Natalie Gavin

as The Girl

George Costigan

as Jimmy 'The Wig'

Monica Dolan

as Ann Hamilton

Neil Dudgeon

as Steve Saul

Jimi Mistry

as Yousaf

Robert Emms

as Young David

Kate Rutter

as The Mother

Danny Webb

as Max Stafford-Clark / The Father

Matthew McNulty

as Andrew Dunbar

Kathryn Pogson

as Pamela Dunbar

Jonathan Jaynes

as David Dunbar

Lizzie Roper

as Kathy Dunbar

Liam Price

as Billy

Parvani Lingiah

as Young Lorraine Dunbar

Gary Whitaker

as Himself

Jamie Timlin

as Himself

Kulvinder Ghir

as Rafee

Moey Hassan

as Bus Conductor

Josh Brown

as Policeman