It has been fascinating to see how producers have responded to lockdown closing their theatres as they embrace storytelling in an online world. Do you retain the theatricality of live performance in a venue, do you embrace the streamed world with its social media and Zoom or do you create cinematic stories? Helen Milne Productions opts to combine all three approaches in her interesting exploration of isolation and loneliness which is amplified by lockdown. The resulting three separate stories which could so easily have turned dark and depressing as the lost souls’ grapple with their demons but thankfully chooses to end in uplifting mode, reflecting the hope that the lifting of restrictions gives us all.
The first story is Rug Rat which finds Jess played by Dolina MacLennan having fallen at home in her flat and struggling to lift herself up to reach her phone on the table while Zak rings after release from prison. It captures the isolation of being shut in a flat in a dodgy neighbourhood where the only contact with the outside is the sound of the postman at the door and banging on the floor to attract attention. Her slow crawl to escape captured in multiple camera angles is painful to watch and you fear she will not make it and die alone. I was not completely convinced about Jess’s injuries but it beautifully captured both the tenacity and fragility of being old and alone.
The second story Chase Scene is set in a car of a volunteer delivery lady Lindsey working for Montrose Mutual Aid Group played with intense anguish by Karen Dunbar. She is furloughed from her normal work and anxious to be reassured that she will eventually return by desperately calling and texting her boss, Kylie. She paints a tragically sad picture of someone suffering from asthma and in need of her puffer while consuming Monster drink and mints and abusing people in the street she sees. It is shot in a studio against projections of moving street scenes which look ok, but she does not react to the video behind her as if she were driving, nearly gets knocked over by opening a door when a car passes and abuses a cyclist who we fail to see on the roadside as drives off. These technical flaws and the use of a large nodding bulldog, Mabel, on the dashboard to obscure some of the shots are distracting. However, the desperation and mental health strain of Lockdown is etched on her face and we hope by connecting with people through her phone she will get through.The final film is the best. Here Boy is filmed on a beach as the tide comes in Lunderston Bay where we meet Cameron, a teenage boy who has lost his dog Cosmo while his head was stuck on the phone. Rueben Joseph paints a likeable picture of a young man who reflects on “all the shit I fail at, like a disaster movie” and that he “never failed at failure”. The beautiful, rugged landscape of the beach is wonderfully captured on drone shots as he searches for his dog and we again fear for his mental health as he reflects on his sense of isolation at school. The phone rings so we know there are people who are there for him, but will he respond to the enquiries?
These three films linked together by the mobiles phones they use to connect with the outside world and their themes of isolation, physical and mental ill-health have the look of Film School graduate films where the techniques of production and capture at times start to overwhelm the storytelling and distract from the message. However ultimately Stewart Melton’s script does provide a worthwhile message as we emerge from Lockdown of caring and looking out for others, Caitlin Skinner’s direction reveals these three characters innermost thoughts in their actions and Seth Hardwick’s photography embraces the technology to effectively create the three very different settings and together leave you hopeful and sensitive to the needs of other as we start to get out and meet people again.Review by Nick Wayne
Rating: ★★★★
Seat: Online | Price of Ticket: £10
