This week, I watched an independent movie under the theme of the ocean and Scotland with all its myth and secrets that keeps this mysterious land. FOR THOSE IN PERIL has been acknowledged in Cannes Film Festival with a Golden Camera for its British director and an award at Cannes Critics Week.
The story is about Aaron, a young man, who has survived from a tragedy: few days ago, he has left with his older brother and friends on a fishing ship but he is the only who got back. Since he has no memory of it, he tries to go through this hard time when the small fisher town inhabitants start to be more and more suspicious about this « accident ». You quickly understand Aaron has always been aside from the other inhabitants with his only brother sheltering him from bullying. Mourning his beloved brother with his single mom, Aaron hold on his own world and imagination.
Between compassion and doubt, the tension is growing more and more. Indeed, Aaron is fragile but at the same time, going across his memories and nostalgia, you realize that it could hide something much more disturbing. I think, this tension is successfully manages thanks to leading role George Mackay quite impressing as a 21 year old actor.
In addition, what I found the more interesting is the research of texture plus the poetry of the story. One one hand, the omnipresence of the water gives a certain style and ambiance all along the movie; not to say that the main actor is often standing and swimming in the cold ocean. Imagine the sound of the waves as threatening, majestic or hypnotic, like you derivates more and more in Aaron fantasy. On the other hand, I particularly liked the writing that could have been much more harebrained. Indeed, the more you go into the story, the more you get confused, and the more you are waiting for the truth about Aaron; that is the clue of the success of the film. To manage it, the storyline is based on a tale taken from the older myths in a country where those legends lull the population of Scotland (The land of Loch Ness Monster).
Why did I put such a grade then? For three reasons:
First, I have to admit the director is using too many times the same shooting styles for the story purposes; Too many zoom in/ out with the adaptation lens and back to the shoulder shots may you give the feeling of « déjà vu » in an only 1h30 movie. Don’t overdo something that works risking to spoil it!
Then, in order to raise the tension, here again, you can find some redundancy in the situations with the main character loneliness shot off in his room.
Finally, as it is only the third movie of Paul Wright, this promising and encouraging movie suggests better for the future and so, needs a marge of progression.
To conclude, this is the result of a nice balance between a thriller and a conceptual movie that makes you appreciate a quality time. There is no surprised if it get award at the BAFTA international festival since its previous nominations.
If it is not available anymore in theaters, don’t hesitate to try out on VOD platforms, since it enjoys a simultaneous release.
