Creeling

They say a fisherman's best not knowing how to swim, the "better to drown quickly," but there's something about not being prepared for the environment one finds oneself in that speaks to the heart of Creeling.

Lily goes out on the boat with Dougie, but things have changed, will continue to change. Tonal shifts are mirrored in landscape, in light, and as Tunnock's teacake tomfoolery turns to something more adult, more anxiety inducing, those involved demonstrate their craft and skill. The geography of islands is key, landscape itself providing indications of horizons, close to shore the littoral and figurative, from upon high a loftier remove.

In Q&A writer/director Sam Firth and her producer discussed the film as a testbed for a forthcoming feature, and it's unarguably a successful demonstration of talent. The mixture of small boats and small towns is a complicated one, but it's ably navigated here. Like the lobsters in the traps, this contrasts a seemingly tough exterior with something more delicate, harder to extract, but definitely worth catching.