True North

Colour, 35 mm
Ireland, United Kingdom, Germany, 2006, 96 min
Section: Variety Critics’ Choice

Synopsis

A quartet of Scottish fisherman grapple with the terrible cost of human trafficking in morally resonant, deeply-felt drama True North, from London-born, German-based thesp-turned-helmer Steve Hudson. Though determinedly downbeat, pic benefits from solid acting and visceral lensing in the churning North Sea. …Helmer-scribe Hudson exhibits a sure hand in his directing debut. His script gives each seaman provocative character traits that lead to surprising clashes, and what looks to be a foolhardy decision to shoot on a relatively small boat on the high seas pays huge dividends in storm-set sequences of terrifying power.