Getting On

Keenly-observed, Ewan Stewart's film is a portrait of an ordinary day in a woman's life. The usual rituals of tea and toast, getting the family out of the door for signing on and back-shifts, errands unknown, getting the messages in for her own mother, getting along, getting by, getting on.

It's stark, George Geddes' cinematography almost black and white, a hint of colour, a blur, ever-shifting moments of neat composition and focus and a beautiful moment of clarity. Based on a story by Ewan's father Liam, this is an amazing film, masterfully paced. Louise Goodall's narration is measured, one of the real strengths of the film is the flatness of her affect, all part of a grey blur.

Little details: a Tetley branded mug; the Sky remote beside the TV remote on the coffee table; a big bunch of keys for all the locks; Jesus himself, "lord and saviour", waiting in the close. It's hard to describe the reaction it elicits, with the woman, with the audience. It deservedly won the jury prize for Scottish film at the 2014 Glasgow Short Film Festival, described by them as a "balanced piece where the real and implausible come together". It's little miracle itself.