IMDb RATING
4.9/10
1.3K
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A young Scottish shepherd, following the death of his unfaithful wife, fights to maintain his own sanity when the past catches up to him.A young Scottish shepherd, following the death of his unfaithful wife, fights to maintain his own sanity when the past catches up to him.A young Scottish shepherd, following the death of his unfaithful wife, fights to maintain his own sanity when the past catches up to him.
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After his adulterous wife dies in an accident, a grieving husband decides to take a job shepherding sheep on a remote island nearby to process the situation only to be tormented by a seemingly malicious spirit intent on unearthing a hidden truth about the incident.
Overall, there's not much to this one. The fact that it manages to evoke a mysterious and generally eerie atmosphere here is about all that works as this one generates some impressive atmosphere due to the situation. The sense of isolation here with his physically being stranded on the remote island as well as mentally with the ghosts of his past rendering him incapable of anything other than taking a job on this island offers a fantastic building block to work The supernatural sequences off of. From strange behaviors by his dog forcing him to look around the house, eerie bowling in the distance that no one else can respond to or the strange discoveries around the island he keeps making, this one manages an effectively chilling scenario that may or may not be in his mind. However, while this creates a fantastic starting point the film never does much else with it. That's due to the dreary and depressing tone that carries on throughout here as the quiet, slow-burn setup keeps the overt scares away in favor of a more unnerving series of psychological mind games involving a person not ready to accept their fate. This offers up a highly puzzling setup that might not work for most out there which gets this one off to a rather underwhelming beginning point. Less troublesome but also detrimental is the somewhat overlong running time for this kind of genre effort which does make this one somewhat of a challenge to get through. Otherwise, these are the only flaws here.
Rated R: Violence and Language.
Overall, there's not much to this one. The fact that it manages to evoke a mysterious and generally eerie atmosphere here is about all that works as this one generates some impressive atmosphere due to the situation. The sense of isolation here with his physically being stranded on the remote island as well as mentally with the ghosts of his past rendering him incapable of anything other than taking a job on this island offers a fantastic building block to work The supernatural sequences off of. From strange behaviors by his dog forcing him to look around the house, eerie bowling in the distance that no one else can respond to or the strange discoveries around the island he keeps making, this one manages an effectively chilling scenario that may or may not be in his mind. However, while this creates a fantastic starting point the film never does much else with it. That's due to the dreary and depressing tone that carries on throughout here as the quiet, slow-burn setup keeps the overt scares away in favor of a more unnerving series of psychological mind games involving a person not ready to accept their fate. This offers up a highly puzzling setup that might not work for most out there which gets this one off to a rather underwhelming beginning point. Less troublesome but also detrimental is the somewhat overlong running time for this kind of genre effort which does make this one somewhat of a challenge to get through. Otherwise, these are the only flaws here.
Rated R: Violence and Language.
Well you know it's going to be slow as it is based on one man alone on an island so don't go in looking for a high octane thriller. The film itself is well enough made with a lower budget than many get but I have to say that having immersed myself into the solitude of the subject I didn't get any real satisfaction from the ending. I guess many will have their own interpretation on the meaning of it all. Me, I wanted a little more clarity.
Every now and again you come across a film that you don't expect to be different to the norm, but this one kept me guessing throughout and was genuinely frightening at times. If you liked the Woman in Black or any of those Lighthouse keeper films then you are going to appreciate the haunted nature of landscape in this. Filmed on Mull, it probably did not cost a lot but stands up to most of the US-CGI type stuff you see these days. Loved Greta Scaachi and Kate Dickie's performances. Won't spoil it but well worth your time and thank you to the team that created it, will keep an eye out for more from this director.
Every frame was intentional. Although some may find the film too slow, I enjoyed and appreciated every minute. Beautifully done in EVERY area!!
From the gorgeous open stark and rugged landscapes, to the reflections on water puddles and window.....this movie was done with intent behind every millisecond!!
The camera shots were smooth and varied and came from unexpected angles and views.
The score or music added significantly to the atmosphere seamlessly without over riding the other expressions.
The acting was superbly understated and there were some wonderful symbolism within this story.
The actual screenplay was just a little less tight than everything else for me. Perhaps (I'm guessing here) that it was a cultural/national subtlety that didn't translate as clearly.... But, again, It was SUBTLE and everything else was so generously and perfectly executed that it didn't effect my enjoyment or appreciation for this film.
From the gorgeous open stark and rugged landscapes, to the reflections on water puddles and window.....this movie was done with intent behind every millisecond!!
The camera shots were smooth and varied and came from unexpected angles and views.
The score or music added significantly to the atmosphere seamlessly without over riding the other expressions.
The acting was superbly understated and there were some wonderful symbolism within this story.
The actual screenplay was just a little less tight than everything else for me. Perhaps (I'm guessing here) that it was a cultural/national subtlety that didn't translate as clearly.... But, again, It was SUBTLE and everything else was so generously and perfectly executed that it didn't effect my enjoyment or appreciation for this film.
I was pleasantly surprised by this film since I did not go in expecting much due to the low ratings and negative reviews.
If you like old-style, cerebral, slow-building horror I urge you to give this film a look. The cinematography is luscious, the location is stark and beautiful (Scottish Hebrides) and the acting is great. The imagery is profound.
No, it isn't a thrill-a-minute scare-fest but it is a worthy well-crafted film.
Give it a shot.
If you like old-style, cerebral, slow-building horror I urge you to give this film a look. The cinematography is luscious, the location is stark and beautiful (Scottish Hebrides) and the acting is great. The imagery is profound.
No, it isn't a thrill-a-minute scare-fest but it is a worthy well-crafted film.
Give it a shot.
Did you know
- Quotes
Eric Black: What have you done?
- How long is Shepherd?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Gross worldwide
- $440,268
- Runtime1 hour 43 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39:1
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