Shell

Please never put anything in the mouth of someone having a seizure. That advice is outdated and extremely unsafe. Also, for the love of all that is holy, do not put your hand in the mouth of a person having a seizure. That is just stupid. I do think films featuring medical conditions should have to be approved to ensure the public aren't being given misinformation that could endanger others. Now that's out the way, I actually loved this film. It was uncomfortable, charming and sad all at once. Great leads who conveyed so much with so few words. Glad I watched it and would probably watch it again.

I came across this film via MyFlixer. I'm always attracted to the alternatives of life. This seemed like a indie cinema creation. The film itself was dark, broody and disturbing. It gave me some hope in the days of loneliness and covid 24/7 brainwashing. I liked the main character. She is stuck in her Dad's vortex of a petrol station. The blokes that patronise the petrol station, do so out of a fancy for her. The electricity between her and her old man is weird and desperate at the same time. There's not much conversation here, it's all said in the lack of conversation. A daughter imprisoned by her epileptic patriarch. A touchy and difficult subject matter that she manages to escape after the main event. I liked it, it had all the darkness and desolation of any good British Film. It's worth your time, but don't expect much joviality.

This film is interesting. The setting is beautiful and so are the shots. The story is thrilling, but not in a crime or horror or mystery sort of way. It's slow moving, but there is a reason doe that as it fits into the isolation. I won't go into details, but I did enjoy this film. Characters are good.

Shell has wonderful shots of the sparse desolate landscapes of the remote communities in the highlands of Scotland. Shell is also a film of few words but it comes across as drab and isolated as its setting. Shell (Chloe Pirrie) is a teenager on the cusp of womanhood working at her dad's petrol station. It is a place frequented by locals and long distance lorry drivers. Her epileptic father Pete (Joseph Mawle) spends time scrapping cars in the garage attached to the petrol station. He has been looking after Shell since his wife abandoned them both many years ago. Both are locked in and need each other. Pete realises that it is unhealthy for Shell to stay with him. There is little in these parts of the highlands that has something to offer Shell apart from lonely divorced men and frisky teenagers. There is no narrative here, Shell provides warmth to those who visit. Her father remains distant, as he knows this is what life is like here. Always has been and always will be, he decides to take matters in his own hands to force a change. There has been several dramas made in the past such as this set in remote communities. I am thinking of Morgan's Boy from 1984 set in a Welsh hill farm which went for a bleak ending but at least it had more drama.

I rolled along at a comfortable slow burning pace, lapping up this visual naturalistic treat, which caught the light and spaciousness of the Highlands beautifully. Top acting especially from Shell, so committed, yet so "at ease" too. I like films that trigger a process, where in time insights emerge. Ties to blood & soil or freedom to a new relatedness to the world, devotion, purpose, meaning, self acceptance. I was engrossed by each interesting, believable character. The scene where the guy who'd bought Shell some jeans and went on to invade her space by a prolonged hug was quite moving despite its awkwardness, as the empathy conveyed by Shell was a rare phenomena and it's so refreshingly to see.

I loved this film from the moment I read the Synopsis. I need to figure out where this was actually filmed as the roads are spectacular and look like they make for some nice driving. The petrol Station is very cute indeed. For me the weather and remoteness of the location made the whole film for me, it gave the impression of a great desperateness and struggle against the cold which seemed to parallel the emotions portrayed by all of the characters. A few nice cars on show too including a very tidy "Q" plated Series II Land Rover Pickup kitted out with Recover Gear, and a very tidy 1976 Fiesta XR2i which appears to have been borrowed from a member of highlandoldskoolfords.co.uk Watch out for an appearance from Michael Smiley (known more for his role as Benny in Luther) as Hugh a lonely regular who becomes a bit too close for comfort at times

I had not heard of this film before but watched it last night and found that although it was on late, I could not take my eyes off the screen. The film is slow moving, but the acting draws you in - it is not an action thriller,so don't expect much dialogue or excitement. The characters move around each other with ease and there is a pathos and understanding between the father and daughter where you root for them to find some happiness in their dreary, bleak lives, even if it is with each other. Taboo subject, touched on with delicacy and great acting. It is almost like a French film where the words are few, the acting looks easy as if they are not acting, but the result is mesmerising and very watchable for the audience. You do feel for the couple and for their circumstances, but looking around the countryside, you can see that it reflects their empty lives.

A British drama; A story about a girl who works at a remote gas station on the West coast of Scotland with her father. Their physical isolation and reliance on each other trigger confusing emotions. This bleak, haunting, coming-of-age drama has a pacing perfectly poised for mystery, drama and tension. The film has a minimalist feel and while the story is slow burning it never loses momentum. The editing has occasional slackness but the direction is first rate and it helped produce some good performances and a crackling atmosphere.

I recorded this not knowing what it was about, then set down to watch it 3 months later. As the movie progressed, clearly slower than most action movies, my curiosity and expectation turned into a growing sense of awkwardness as the scenes unfolded. A young woman unaware of - or grappling with her own sexuality becomes the focus of male urges in forbidden, fleeting or equally desperate desires. The location of desolate isolation intensifies the storyline of her yearning to break free from her roadside, family-tied prison-without-walls young life, and the pace becomes irrelevant or perhaps magnetizing. Genuine tension fills the air with each customer visit with growing concern of the outcome. This movie is a triumph in awkwardness. Well done Director.

Unfortunately, the script for this movie came straight out of the little book of stereotypes. There's eating roadkill, a touch of incest desire and of course the extreme loneliness of living in the Highlands (why would you have petrol station where nobody comes past). Well the empty road look was achieved by getting the Police to hold up the traffic out off shot (me included) despite being shot in mid winter, the A832 is a busy road. The set was built in a lay-by just west of Badcaul and when filming was finished the set went into a skip, leaving no trace at all. If you have driven the North Coast 500 route you will have passed this location.