True North
This documentary-style drama is set on a North-
Sea fishing trawler that is struggling to stay afloat, financially
speaking. The interaction of each of the members of the small cast in the
opening scenes is very enjoyable and seems authentic. In particular, Peter
Mullan gives a striking performance as a rambunctious deckhand who “has never
had much to lose”, and it is this performance that is key to the audience’s
initial engagement.
The title plays on the film’s nautical setting
and can be interpreted as a reference to a colloquial moral compass. The
director maintains an
unobtrusive position, thereby allowing the audience to follow its
own instinct when making sense of the unfolding events. Thanks to the director’s
efforts not to lead our opinion, the contrast between the crew larking about
on the upper deck while the ship’s human cargo suffers in the hold puts the
audience in an uncomfortable place where they feel the weight of the onus to
make a considered response to what they are shown. This effect is also carried through by
the relating of concurrent storylines, and the disorientating scenes, such as the brothel
scene, amusing and novel though they may be, which do not relate to the "larger" themes.
The overhead shots showing the ship making its
way through the limitless expanse of ocean, which are often shown
while terrible events are playing out on the ship itself, seem out of kilter with the
rhythm of the evolving plot. However, there is a similarity on some level
between these depictions of nature’s stoic “eternalness” and the detachment
that the director demonstrates while depicting these human tragedies. Such unflinching
detachment gives the film a bleak aspect, not inconsistent, perhaps, with misanthropy.
This drama is entirely believable in its depiction
of the interaction of the given set of characters and personalities. The
relevance of one central character is cleverly understated
throughout (even if the explanation for her presence on the boat is perhaps the
least credible aspect of the story). This is achieved by
gradually intensifying the film’s other plot lines. The least convincing characterisation,
the father, who is clearly and effectively depicted as one depressed and full
of woe, ends in a tragedy that is communicated with brutal clarity thanks in
large part to the agonised expression of his griefstricken son. This is tragedy
in the classical sense, and maybe intentionally so. However, if
this is the case, if characters "earn" their fate by dint of their demonstrated
moral worth, perhaps the director is not as detached as we supposed.
The lighting is consistently good, and the
editing and close-ups, including an excellent image of the girl’s torchlit
face as she awaits her fate at the hands of the human traffickers, add to the
viewer’s enjoyment of this entertaining and intricate set piece that could
easily be translated into an exciting play. For which we would hope that Peter
Mullan could reprise his role.