Bait
- 2019
- 1h 29m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
5.6K
YOUR RATING
Martin is a fisherman without a boat, his brother Steven having re-purposed it as a tourist tripper. With their childhood home now a get-away for London money, Martin is displaced to the est... Read allMartin is a fisherman without a boat, his brother Steven having re-purposed it as a tourist tripper. With their childhood home now a get-away for London money, Martin is displaced to the estate above the harbour.Martin is a fisherman without a boat, his brother Steven having re-purposed it as a tourist tripper. With their childhood home now a get-away for London money, Martin is displaced to the estate above the harbour.
- Won 1 BAFTA Award
- 9 wins & 15 nominations total
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
... and the anger and the rage and the torment, in this exquisitely crafted modern day masterpiece whose tale mimics that of so many misplaced traditions and the voids they leave behind as they sink to the bottom of the briny. With outstanding cinematography and performances to boot - filmed in black & white, this is anything but monochrome.
This film should make a lot of people squirm. Yes, you with the prosecco.
Brilliantly shot, cut, interesting and occasionally surprising juxtapositions of scenes keep the interest in a relentless, slow burning story that could erupt into violence almost anywhere in the 89 minutes.
We had great sympathy with the Cornish characters, you feel this film, you know it is the truth. In this respect, in addition to the incredible noir, graininess it is a real triumph.
Brilliantly shot, cut, interesting and occasionally surprising juxtapositions of scenes keep the interest in a relentless, slow burning story that could erupt into violence almost anywhere in the 89 minutes.
We had great sympathy with the Cornish characters, you feel this film, you know it is the truth. In this respect, in addition to the incredible noir, graininess it is a real triumph.
Giving a numerical score to a film like this is very difficult because it depends entirely upon what you want from a film like this. As a piece of art this film is a 10 out of 10. The use of a 16mm clockwork camera, bold editing, dubbed dialogue and hand-processing of the film all serve to enhance the themes of the film perfectly (miscommunication, old vs new ways of life, conflict between classes, gentle aggression of gentrification).
Having said that, if you are looking for a film that captivates you with story and plot, look elsewhere. There is a plot and but it serves as something through which to display the technical aspects of the film itself.
It reminded me of short stories by people like Raymond Carver and Flannery O'Connor: there is a lot to chew on but most of the fat lays beneath the surface, as such the film doesn't hold your hand and if you don't tend to consider the technical aspects of film making when sitting down to watch a film, then this probably isn't for you.
I have given this film a 7/10 because I think that is the closest approximation I can give it but pieces of work like Bait serve to further emphasise how reductive rating films numerically is. If you enjoy films that tell low-key, theme rich but action light plots and focus on the technical craft of film-making then I think you will enjoy this. It's only 89 minutes long and there are no other films being made right now like it.
Oh, one titbit, if you aren't accustomed to the Cornish accent, I recommend subtitles if available. Even for UK natives some characters accents may prove too thick to catch every word.
Having said that, if you are looking for a film that captivates you with story and plot, look elsewhere. There is a plot and but it serves as something through which to display the technical aspects of the film itself.
It reminded me of short stories by people like Raymond Carver and Flannery O'Connor: there is a lot to chew on but most of the fat lays beneath the surface, as such the film doesn't hold your hand and if you don't tend to consider the technical aspects of film making when sitting down to watch a film, then this probably isn't for you.
I have given this film a 7/10 because I think that is the closest approximation I can give it but pieces of work like Bait serve to further emphasise how reductive rating films numerically is. If you enjoy films that tell low-key, theme rich but action light plots and focus on the technical craft of film-making then I think you will enjoy this. It's only 89 minutes long and there are no other films being made right now like it.
Oh, one titbit, if you aren't accustomed to the Cornish accent, I recommend subtitles if available. Even for UK natives some characters accents may prove too thick to catch every word.
'Bait (2019)' looks like a movie from the late twenties/ early thirties, with black-and-white cinematography and overdubbed dialogue. It's an odd decision, since the narrative doesn't demand this treatment in the slightest. The story is like something out of a soap opera, a small-town tale of tourism vs local business. It isn't just its abstract aesthetic that marks it as distinct; its plot is peppered with contextless scenes that could either be flashbacks or flash-forwards. This strange choice makes the movie much more confusing than it ought to be. It sort of comes across as an attempt to arbitrarily 'liven up' the flick's relatively straightforward story. Though it does transform the flick into somewhat of an enigma, it never really feels necessarily. The picture just doesn't quite come together as satisfyingly as it perhaps ought to. Its aesthetic is well-achieved, though, and its narrative is typically rather interesting. It's ultimately a fairly engaging experiment. 6/10
Imagine this. Taylor Swift releases a bunch of new songs on a 78 rpm shellac record, and before selling it she adds some scratches to make it sound really old.
'Bait' is the cinematographic equivalent of this imaginary album. It's a movie set in the present, but made with the equipment and filming technique from a century ago. The result is that we see a modern story on grainy celluloid with lot of white flecks, and an image sometimes suddenly becoming darker or lighter. Even the sound is special: everything is dubbed, resulting in a certain stiffness we know from movies made in the 1930's.
It's a gimmick, and it's brilliantly done. 'Bait' is different from all other films you will see this year. And that in itself is a great quality. But is is the only one. The film is worthwile because of the gimmick. Take it away, and imagine the same story, filmed on an ordinary digital camera with great colours and good, natural sound, and it would be nothing special.
That's why the film didn't really appeal to me. It's not that I didn't appreciate the effort to make something out of the ordinary. I did, but halfway I wanted more than juist the gimmick. Also I had sometimes trouble following the logic of the story, and in my opinion the quick cross cutting scenes were a bit too much. If the 1930's style of the film would have served a purpose, for example in flash-backs or found footage, it would have been different. But now I was left with mixed feelings. I admire the audacity of the experiment, but I wasn't carried away by the overall cinematic experience.
'Bait' is the cinematographic equivalent of this imaginary album. It's a movie set in the present, but made with the equipment and filming technique from a century ago. The result is that we see a modern story on grainy celluloid with lot of white flecks, and an image sometimes suddenly becoming darker or lighter. Even the sound is special: everything is dubbed, resulting in a certain stiffness we know from movies made in the 1930's.
It's a gimmick, and it's brilliantly done. 'Bait' is different from all other films you will see this year. And that in itself is a great quality. But is is the only one. The film is worthwile because of the gimmick. Take it away, and imagine the same story, filmed on an ordinary digital camera with great colours and good, natural sound, and it would be nothing special.
That's why the film didn't really appeal to me. It's not that I didn't appreciate the effort to make something out of the ordinary. I did, but halfway I wanted more than juist the gimmick. Also I had sometimes trouble following the logic of the story, and in my opinion the quick cross cutting scenes were a bit too much. If the 1930's style of the film would have served a purpose, for example in flash-backs or found footage, it would have been different. But now I was left with mixed feelings. I admire the audacity of the experiment, but I wasn't carried away by the overall cinematic experience.
Did you know
- TriviaSince the film was shot on a clockwork Bolex camera, sound couldn't be recorded on location. All the dialogue and sound effects were then dubbed in post.
- Quotes
Tim Leigh: Why don't you go home?
Martin Ward: Was gonna say the same to you, you prancin' Lycra cunt!
- SoundtracksThe New Tin Drum
Written by Thea Gilmore and Nigel Stonier
Performed by Thea Gilmore
Used by permission.
- How long is Bait?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Gross worldwide
- $740,158
- Runtime1 hour 29 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
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