Well this is easily the shortest film that Merk has picked so far, with Mark Jenkin’s ‘Bronco’s House’ (2015) sitting at about 45 minutes long. I’m not necessarily complaining about this. I have recently started working again and so shorter films actually suit my schedule and allow me to watch football (and there is a ton of football at the minute). However, I was a little bit worried that the short runtime would mean there would be less for me to talk about. There was no need for me to be worried as this film manages to fit a lot into its short runtime, whilst also being a breeze to watch. The film is set in a village in Cornwall where Bronco (Henry Drake) and his pregnant partner (Mae Voogd) are struggling to find a home, and find themselves fighting against greedy landlords, village outsiders, and their own stubbornness in their attempts.
Prior to this film my only other experience of Mark Jenkin was with his film ‘Bait’ (2019), and this film is a great precursor to that film, not only in its visual style but also in some of its themes. Both films are set in a fishing village in Cornwall and both are shot on film with clockwork cameras and no on set sound recording. I will get into how this helps build the tone of the film later, but for now I will focus on how it looks. And it looks great. Like ‘Bait’, this filming technique gives the film a gritty look and feel which matches the feeling you get from the setting of the film. It feels like an old village set in its ways with all the rough edges that go with that, and the look of the film matches this. You also get all the scratches and distorted visuals you sometimes get when using actual film stock also add to this as well as give the film a great look. It also has similar themes to ‘Bait’, or at least one, and that is the gentrification of Cornwall. Now, in ‘Bait’ this is the central conflict of the theme, with the film being about the tensions between tourist families and the locals trying ot make a living. This film is less focused on that, but it does underpin the entire film with one of the obstacles in Bronco and his partners way being a man moving in from the city and paying more than they can for the plot of land they want. This gives the theme a politically charged edge and makes it more interesting viewing than a film about two people trying to find a house. The film also is a precursor to the editing style of ‘Bait’, using a lot montage, quick cuts, and not sticking to a linear editing. Whether this a Jenkin stable I cannot say, but he uses it in both the two films of him I have seen and he uses it really well in this film to create a film that is visually engaging as well as narratively.
The editing in the film is used both to create an environment of bubbling tension, as well as tell you exactly where the story is going from the start. There are often quick cuts showing scenes that we are yet to se. At first, they seem out of place, but as the story progresses and you see more and more you realise that it is actually Jenkin telling you exactly what is going to happen which had to this feeling of tension. Even as early as the opening montage you are effectively shown the entire story of the film. One part of the film I completely came around on while watching the film was the acting, or at least the delivery of dialogue. Throughout the film it is quite flat, monotone. There is very little obvious emotion in any of the performances and I was not sold on it at the beginning. It just seemed a bit crap. But as the film progressed and I sank more and more into it, I suddenly began to appreciate the performances. The film, despite being quite gritty at times, has a very dreamlike feel to it throughout, helped massively by the performances. They feel human, but are not quite there, and this is helped by the sound being added after the fact. They have this somewhat otherworldly feel and it really helps build this feeling you have of not entirely sure what is real and what isn’t. It isn’t paranormal, everything you see is real. But the way you see it feels like a dream, especially some scenes which are hugely stylised visually and feel very much not from this world. This is also helped by the score of the film which is so subtle but has an entirely ethereal feel to the film while also using real world sounds to continue this fight between the dreamlike feel and down to earth look the film has. And I think that all this fits that theme of gentrification the film is going for. The idea of Cornwall being this dream of a place for tourists while being this gritty place where people grow up and work and the conflict between these two ideas. Maybe not, maybe it is just an artistic choice. Either way it is done brilliantly well.
This film is a visually engaging film which has interesting themes and a narrative that truly sucks you in and once it does it flies by. However, I don’t think everyone is going to react to it the same way I did. It is quite art house in its style and how it tells its narrative. Despite this I would absolutely recommend it. Even if it doesn’t sound like it is up your street it is only 45 minutes long and you may be surprised by it. If you do like it then I’d say watch ‘Bait’ as well, although I think ‘Bronco’s House’ is the more interesting of the two films.