This film is based on the novel by Alexander Trocchi and those that have read it may find more insight to certain scenes while others may consider this a let down but my own personal view is that it's an interesting film about cynical characters that still feel guilt about their own actions. Story takes place in the early 1960's in Scotland where we see three characters and a small boy living and working on a river barge. Joe Taylor (Ewan McGregor) works for Les Gault (Peter Mullan) who's married to Ella (Tilda Swinton) and they work and live on their barge Atlantic Eve going back and forth from Edinburgh to Glasgow. One day Joe and Les fish the body of a woman out of the river and call the police who take her away but the authorities have a difficult time figuring out who she is and how she ended up in the river.
*****SPOILER ALERT*****
Joe and Ella start an affair but it doesn't take long before Les finds out and since the barge is owned by Ella it's Les who moves out but while all this is going on the police have found out that the woman in the river has been identified and was dating a married plummer who is now on trial for murder. What everyone doesn't know is that Joe knows the woman and her name is Cathie (Emily Mortimer) and he knows how she died but he doesn't tell anyone the circumstances that could free the man on trial.
Directed by David Mackenzie this intriguing little film is reminiscent of the film noir efforts of the 1940's and 1950's although with all the sex and nudity it's certainly one that is played for modern art house audiences. The cast is exceptional and both McGregor and Swinton have built their impressive careers by being able to play such diverse roles and this is no exception. Mullan with his terrific face is one of those great characters actors who never gives a bad performance and he appears born to play a tough guy who works on a river barge. On the surface the story for this film has it's characters behaving like cold hearted cynics incapable of any type of sorrow or pity for others but if you take a good look what this film really is about is unrelenting guilt. Joe does feel guilt for his actions and Ella for her husband Les and the three of them are compelled by the trial of the plummer. Even though their guilt is stemmed for different reasons it seems to bring them to the same place but the film shows that not everyone acts out on their guilt for moral reasons. It's a hard story about tough skinned characters who seem at odds about their morality and that's what makes this film so intriguing.
*****SPOILER ALERT*****
Joe and Ella start an affair but it doesn't take long before Les finds out and since the barge is owned by Ella it's Les who moves out but while all this is going on the police have found out that the woman in the river has been identified and was dating a married plummer who is now on trial for murder. What everyone doesn't know is that Joe knows the woman and her name is Cathie (Emily Mortimer) and he knows how she died but he doesn't tell anyone the circumstances that could free the man on trial.
Directed by David Mackenzie this intriguing little film is reminiscent of the film noir efforts of the 1940's and 1950's although with all the sex and nudity it's certainly one that is played for modern art house audiences. The cast is exceptional and both McGregor and Swinton have built their impressive careers by being able to play such diverse roles and this is no exception. Mullan with his terrific face is one of those great characters actors who never gives a bad performance and he appears born to play a tough guy who works on a river barge. On the surface the story for this film has it's characters behaving like cold hearted cynics incapable of any type of sorrow or pity for others but if you take a good look what this film really is about is unrelenting guilt. Joe does feel guilt for his actions and Ella for her husband Les and the three of them are compelled by the trial of the plummer. Even though their guilt is stemmed for different reasons it seems to bring them to the same place but the film shows that not everyone acts out on their guilt for moral reasons. It's a hard story about tough skinned characters who seem at odds about their morality and that's what makes this film so intriguing.