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Mark Jenkin’s Cornish fishing tale is a masterclass in traditional filmmaking as he offers us a hypnotic and salty soap opera that joyously defies genre boundaries. Jenkin’s grainy 16mm black and white film captures the intensity, loneliness and challenge of a changing Cornish coast as old and new collide with explosive results. Martin Ward (Edward Rowe) is a fisherman who scrapes a living together within his rapidly changing coastal community; the ports and bays where he once caught and sold fish are now a playground for tourists, holidaymakers and those who can afford a summer home. As Martin attempts to keep his community alive, the industry and career he loves slowly slip through his fingers, forcing his brother (Giles King) to use the family fishing boat as a tourist ferry. At the same time, many of Martin’s fishermen friends have replaced the waves with taxis to make ends meet.
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Martin’s childhood cottage has recently been sold to a family from London, who intend to use it as a holiday home. As a result, Martin makes the London family’s life as difficult as possible, with the new owners, Sandra and Tim Leigh (Mary Woodvine and Simon Shepherd) and their children (Georgia Ellery and Jowan Jacobs), unaware of the hurt their presence causes. However, Martin has a glimmer of hope when his teenage nephew Neil (Isaac Woodvine) shows an interest in embracing the fishing traditions he holds dear. But as events spiral out of control throughout one summer, a simmering conflict between tradition, community and tourism will lead to a devastating final act.
Mark Jenkin’s hand-processed and aged 16mm gem carries the feel of a long-lost film suddenly rediscovered under someone’s floorboards. Here, the film itself is a character exploring tradition vs tourism as Jenkin unpicks the challenges facing our coastal communities. The result is a movie that seduces its audience with a beautiful, salty, seaweed-coated photographic study of community change.
Director: Mark Jenkin
Cast: Edward Rowe, Mary Woodvine, Simon Shepherd
