Our Paul Gratton takes a look at ROSE OF NEVADA, now playing in limited release in Canadian & US Cinemas.
About: Rose of Nevada is a British magical realism and sci-fi drama directed by Mark Jenkin. It follows two struggling men, Nick (George MacKay) and Liam (Callum Turner), who join the crew of a fishing vessel that mysteriously returns after vanishing thirty years earlier. Upon returning from their first voyage, the crew slips back in time to 1993, finding themselves mistaken for the doomed original crew.
Reaction: The saturated colours (especially the deep reds) and the grainy visuals (shot-on-16mm film stock) serve this bit of seaside blarney extremely well. The story is about a long vanished fishing boat that finds its way back to its small fishing village after thirty years lost at sea. So using film stock from long ago just adds to the atmosphere, in the same way that the austere black and white photography used in The Lighthouse added much to that film’s mood and atmosphere of severe isolation as well. It’s therefore not surprising when two “lads” go out to sea on that boat, and they are mistaken for two of the original crew members lost in the foamy brine. No one goes by their real names, and the closeups of the windswept crinkled faces with the unkempt beards make this whole tall tale look and sound authentic. This film has been a festival favourite having played TIFF, the New York Film Festival, the BFI London screenings, etc… It’s really nothing more than a tall fish tale, presented with style and more than a little bit of salty seadog confabulation. Fun if you’re into this kind of thing.
Rating: 6 out of 10
