True North (2006/II)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Steve Hudson

Writer:

Steve Hudson (writer)

Release Date:

14 September 2007 (UK)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

An unflinching thriller dealing with the horrendous consequences of human trafficking.

Plot:

The crew of a bankrupt Scottish trawler turn to smuggling illegal immigrants over the stormy waters of the North Sea.

Plot Keywords:

Trawler | North Sea | Fishing | Human Smuggling | People Smuggling

Awards:

6 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Peter Mullan	...	Riley
Martin Compston	...	Sean
Gary Lewis	...	The Skipper
Steven Robertson	...	The Cook
Angel Li	...	Su Li
Hark Bohm	...	Pol
Wang Li Jun	...	Chinese Farmer
Ren Hao	...	Moon Face
Shi Ming	...	Snakehead
Pat Kiernan	...	Henri
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tutu Babatunde	...	African girl
Anna Breuer	...	Svetlana
Maurice Byrne	...	Barman
Yvonne Costello	...	Barmaid
Ning Ning Gho	...	Immigrant
Ren Hang	...	Immigrant
Feng Hui	...	Immigrant
Lei Jia	...	Immigrant
Han Jun	...	Immigrant
Jinge Li	...	Immigrant
Zandie Mabiusa	...	African girl
Yang Mei	...	Immigrant
Zhou Ming	...	Immigrant
Huang Li Rong	...	Immigrant
He Hong Tao	...	Immigrant
Vue Lang Xue	...	Immigrant
Xue Sheng Ying	...	Immigrant
Zhao Yun	...	Immigrant
Lijuan Zhao	...	Immigrant
Lange Zian	...	Immigrant

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

Germany | Ireland | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:M | Argentina:16

Filming Locations:

Ardnamurchan, Highland, Scotland, UK

Company:

Ariel Films

Soundtrack:

Tarzan Boy

Best film I've seen this year.

True North hits the ground running. It's never less than engrossing and the performances are uniformly excellent.

What sounds like a derivative thriller: A crew of fishermen facing bankruptcy decide to smuggle Chinese immigrants from mainland Europe to Scotland, could easily have traded on clichés for it's effects. But writer/director Steve Hudson creates an all together more complex portrait of what essentially decent people will do in desperate circumstances.

Martin Compton shows a maturity and stoicism in his performance.

Peter Mullens character has the greatest arc; as an ex-con who lives his life at a superficial level to avoid engaging in anything deeply who has his humanity awakened by the plight of the immigrants stored in the belly of the boat.

Gary Lewis quietly exudes the desperation of man whose working life is based around daily failure.

Steven Robertson is excellent as the uptight cook from the Western Isles who is terrified of his own sexuality.

But the real revelation for me was first time actress Angel Li whose facial expressions are pages of dialogue in themselves.

My criticism of the film is not in the story itself but the state of the Scottish film industry with again, another Scottish story being shot predominantly in Ireland.

In closing, I just hope True North gets the distribution deal that it deserves. It will probably be marketed as a thriller but it is so much more than this. Go see it.