Dir. Elfar Adalsteins, UK, 2011, 18 mins
Cast: John Hurt
Review by Jean Lynch
It barely registers that there is no dialogue in Sailcloth, and that’s because we are in the hands of a master, John Hurt, in a beautifully moving but still humorous role as the widower who decides the outwit the staff at his nursing home, put on his suit and head off to the sea, via the local fire station, for a boating reunion with someone very special as they prepare for a last great journey together He quietly conveys both an old man, trapped by age, ill-health and the system, and the younger man he once was, as his spirit rises up and takes charge of his own his destiny, defiantly smoking cigarettes and nonchalantly making his escape whilst all around him chaos ensues.
At one point, we see him exchange waves with a boy on the beach, and it seems as if he is looking back on his life, seeing himself as a child. The audience senses a mutual recognition between them, and it almost feels as if the boy is saying it’s ok for the older man to do what he’s about to do. Director Elfar Adalsteins dedicates the film to the memory of his own grandfather, with his own son playing the little boy on the beach. He has said that he wanted to rewrite a happy ending for his grandfather, one in which he has a choice, and the exchange between the old man and child personifies that wish, the little boy representing Adalsteins, waving goodbye as he gives a much loved man the ending he would want him to have.
Adalsteins’ direction is assured and commands a steady, deft grip on a beautifully melodic film, in a tale that’s poignant but never maudlin, dealing with loss in a manner that’s positive and inspiring, and all the time keeping the audience with the characters. It’s nicely paced and blends seamlessly with the mellifluous imagery of the Cornish coast and a haunting score from composer Richard Cottle. Most of all, Adalteins has managed to give us an understated but defiant encapsulation of the triumph of the human spirit, all in the space of just 20 short minutes.
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xx - posted on 23/05/2012 13:13:28
