By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Helen Walsh
Starring: Barry Ward | Celyn Jones | Henry Lawfull | Liz White | Lorne MacFadye
Year: 2026
Running time: 111
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt31936369/
Michael says: “English novelist turned filmmaker Helen Walsh, turns her eye on a middle-aged mussel raker living and working in a small conservative fishing village, married to his high-school sweetheart, raising a son who wants more than the ice that was laid out for him, and nursing a secret desire deep inside him that he is not even fully aware of. It’s a late stage coming-out story that’s been done before, but not often in this environment, and in such a rugged-yet-tender manner. Jack, played by Barry Ward, is ruggedly handsome, but somewhat beaten-down by the difficult life of raking mussels beds on the cold shores of Wales. He keeps his head down, is a good community member, and loves his wife. But there’s something else there… a restlessness that becomes apparent when Daniel, an itinerant worker shows upon the scene, helping Barry to save a man who gets inadvertently tossed into the sea after a scuffle. The electricity between them isn’t immediately evident, but we can see something is going on.
“The two men eventually find themselves spending time first in Daniel’s shabby caravan, then eventually on their neighbor’s boat, out on the sea, far from potentially prying eyes. I suppose it’s not terribly surprising that the beauty and harsh qualities of the land are reflected in the two men but perhaps the tenderness and the depth of emotion that develops between them is. The men are caught in a terrible.unworkable situation with no easy resolution. Walsh introduces a dramatic element that heightens the tragic nature of the film that isn’t really necessary, but makes for some great cinema. I was surprisingly moved by this finely crafted film. 4 1/2 cats
“Screened on June 12, at the Art House
Provincetown International Film Festival”