September
30
Tags
FOR THOSE IN PERIL
FOR THOSE IN PERIL
Run time: 92 mins
Distributor: Soda Pictures
Director: Paul Wright
Cast: Michael Smiley, Kate Dickie, George MacKay, Nichola Burley
Synopsis: Aaron (George MacKay), is a young awkward outsider in a remote Scottish community. He is the lone survivor of a strange fishing accident that claimed the lives of five men, including his older brother. Spurred on by sea-going folklore and local superstition, the village blames him for this tragedy, making him an outcast amongst his own people. Steadfastly refusing to believe his brother is dead, and possessed by grief, madness and magic, Aaron sets out to recover him.
This poetic, mystical film about superstition, grief and loss is beautiful to look at, shot in palates of grey in the Aberdeenshire village of Gourdon. The strange superstition and mythologies of fishing communities seem as deep and unfathomable as the sea itself.
George MacKay gives a strong central performance as Aaron – ‘the walking ghost’ – who survived the strange fishing tragedy and is shunned by his grieving community. Kate Dickie is Cathy his mother who is quietly coping with the heart-breaking loss of his older brother while supporting Aaron as his mental state deteriorates.
Nichola Burley is Jane his brother’s fiancée who is the only other person in the village to show him any sympathy. We hear villagers refer to him as ‘fucking Jonah’.
We feel his pain and trauma at every stage when Aaron sets out to look for his brother and the lost fishing crew and save them from ‘the devil in the sea’.
An impressive feature debut from Paul Wright.
Picture courtesy of Soda Pictures