Bait

Class divisions and the threat of gentrification tear apart culture and community in a small fishing village in this arresting fusion of social realism and avant-garde filmmaking.

At the heart of Cornish filmmaker Mark Jenkin’s monochromed experimental melodrama are two brothers; one who is determined to maintain the traditional fishing industry, and the other who begrudgingly uses the family boat to cater to the emerging tourism market. Bitter and angry at each other’s stubborness, the brothers are at the centre of a divided community.

Shot on 16mm and hand processed, the look and sound of the scratchy and overdubbed black-and-white film juxtaposes with the film’s experimental editing. The result feels like a strange remix of British New Wave cinema where the clash of stylistic devices mirrors the cultural clash between the characters.

“One of the most original and stylistically bold films to world premiere in Berlin.” – The Hollywood Reporter