Tension builds from the first scene to the last. Who are these men? What drives them to want to live in close quarters, stranded together on a small rock for weeks at a time? What if things go wrong between them, with no means of escape or summoning help?
While at times they bond and work well together, their psychological challenges bubble repeatedly to the surface. As an extraordinary situation unfolds, they take extraordinary decisions and must then live with the terrible consequences.
All the main characters are written and played convincingly. There's a depth and dark intensity to them that we seldom see in mainstream films. The rest - even the stunning Scottish scenery and the occasional violent outburst - is almost incidental, subtly under-played by skillful direction. What matters is what's going on inside their heads, and without resorting to crude storytelling through first person narrative voiceovers or flashbacks, the men's stories emerge in a way that explains their behaviours and gradually reveals their inner demons. If you can't fill in the gaps, you're not paying enough attention! Don't expect to be spoon-fed a simple or complete tale: this is a wonderfully evocative film that works by inspiring our imagination. How would we cope in the same position? Would we make the same decisions that, in context, seem almost inevitable?
While at times they bond and work well together, their psychological challenges bubble repeatedly to the surface. As an extraordinary situation unfolds, they take extraordinary decisions and must then live with the terrible consequences.
All the main characters are written and played convincingly. There's a depth and dark intensity to them that we seldom see in mainstream films. The rest - even the stunning Scottish scenery and the occasional violent outburst - is almost incidental, subtly under-played by skillful direction. What matters is what's going on inside their heads, and without resorting to crude storytelling through first person narrative voiceovers or flashbacks, the men's stories emerge in a way that explains their behaviours and gradually reveals their inner demons. If you can't fill in the gaps, you're not paying enough attention! Don't expect to be spoon-fed a simple or complete tale: this is a wonderfully evocative film that works by inspiring our imagination. How would we cope in the same position? Would we make the same decisions that, in context, seem almost inevitable?