Two Years at Sea

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raphael g @raphagimenes 03/04/2021 I fell asleep at some point because I was high, but I liked it. Will revisit it again. See more 02/22/2016 An artistic window on the world, possibly more of an art-house film than a documentary. See more 06/30/2013 Not really a review but, well, it's mesmerizing. See more 02/18/2013 Shot on 16mm film then transferred to 35mm for presentation, the film celebrates all the weaknesses of film stock while rarely displaying its strengths. The long takes of a man living alone and isolated (except for the cameraman and whatever crew accompanied him, of course) are often intriguing, sometimes beautiful, and regularly challenging of the patience. Some will find it rewarding and worthwhile, others won't. I'm on the fence. See more 12/15/2012 Perhaps not everyone's cup of tea, this, but those with some patience and an open mind may well find some pleasures in this little "slow cinema" gem. Artist Ben Rivers returns to the subject of an early short film, Scot Jake Williams, a man who appears to live a solitary, self-sufficient life somewhere in the Scottish highlands who amuses himself by, basically, pottering about, tinkering with the many objects scattered around his rundown homestead. From the absurd, elevating a caravan into a tree as a surreal treehouse, the practical, fixing a roof or welding a battered 4x4 to the sublime, a solo jam session on a mandolin proving him to be a talented musician. The aesthetic of the film matches the mood perfectly, the home developed 16mm matching both the tattiness of Jake's surroundings but also the make-do ingenuity of Jake's tinkering. Rivers also proves a real talent with visuals, from a hilarious piece of film frame interaction when Jake's fishing raft threatens to float offscreen to the enigmatic slow fireside fade on Jake's face to finish the film. The behind the scenes story shows there was a large element of performance, and far less isolation than we may expect, which to me further enhances both Jake and the director's playful, unique characters. See more Read all reviews

Two Years at Sea

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