Shell

I came across this film via MyFlixer. I'm always attracted to the alternatives of life. This seemed like a indie cinema creation. The film itself was dark, broody and disturbing. It gave me some hope in the days of loneliness and covid 24/7 brainwashing. I liked the main character. She is stuck in her Dad's vortex of a petrol station. The blokes that patronise the petrol station, do so out of a fancy for her. The electricity between her and her old man is weird and desperate at the same time. There's not much conversation here, it's all said in the lack of conversation. A daughter imprisoned by her epileptic patriarch. A touchy and difficult subject matter that she manages to escape after the main event. I liked it, it had all the darkness and desolation of any good British Film. It's worth your time, but don't expect much joviality.

I had not heard of this film before but watched it last night and found that although it was on late, I could not take my eyes off the screen. The film is slow moving, but the acting draws you in - it is not an action thriller,so don't expect much dialogue or excitement. The characters move around each other with ease and there is a pathos and understanding between the father and daughter where you root for them to find some happiness in their dreary, bleak lives, even if it is with each other. Taboo subject, touched on with delicacy and great acting. It is almost like a French film where the words are few, the acting looks easy as if they are not acting, but the result is mesmerising and very watchable for the audience. You do feel for the couple and for their circumstances, but looking around the countryside, you can see that it reflects their empty lives.

Sparse but beautiful film about the difficulties of emotional connection and loneliness in a place with few people; set in the Scottish Highlands. Chloe Pirrie is very good as the teenager who is oppressed by the weight of need - her own need for connection, and the needs of others which are placed upon her. This film says more in 90 minutes than many others do in a much longer time.

There are still places in the far north west of Scotland where you can drive for miles and scarcely see a house, with vast uninhabited moors between the roads, but for the most part, life in these parts is a story of small, remote communities that are communities nonetheless. Scott Graham's film takes us to lonelier place, however, the story of a young woman living an unhealthily close life with her needy, epileptic father: this might not be a normal life even in the highlands, but this a certainly a place where the daily practice of separation from others could lead to emotional isolation. The film follows the maxim of "show don't tell", which is often a good one; but here we only see a bleak portrait of empty lives, with exemplary incidents but little narrative: it's almost impossible to judge anyone as "good", "bad", or even "likeable" this far outside the normal physical and moral terrain. It's not an awful film, but a dash of something - humour, plot, malice - would not have gone amiss.

A British drama; A story about a girl who works at a remote gas station on the West coast of Scotland with her father. Their physical isolation and reliance on each other trigger confusing emotions. This bleak, haunting, coming-of-age drama has a pacing perfectly poised for mystery, drama and tension. The film has a minimalist feel and while the story is slow burning it never loses momentum. The editing has occasional slackness but the direction is first rate and it helped produce some good performances and a crackling atmosphere.