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See also: SHADOWS FILM FESTIVAL | Last update 20.Aug.26

Mission
Review by Rich Cline | 3/5

dir-scr Paul Wright
prd Kate Byers, Marie-Elena Dyche, Lowri Roberts, Alex Thiele, Linn Waite
with George MacKay, Rosy McEwen, Emun Elliott, Emma Naomi, Roslyn Paterson, Hazel Beattie, Liam Hughes, Kelly Freemantle, Oliver Boyd, Matilda Thomson, Bryce Hendricks, Isela Hamilton
release UK Aug.26 eiff
26/UK BBC 1h23

EDINBURGH FILM FEST

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George MacKay delivers a raw, full-bodied performance in this dark Scottish drama, adding ripples of emotional resonance to what is otherwise a blurry, rather disorienting odyssey into mental illness. Writer-director Paul Wright uses kaleidoscopic camerawork and editing, a whispery voiceover and only the vaguest hints of a plot, so the film begins to feel both indulgent and simplistic. And yet the depth in MacKay's presence makes it riveting.

Feeling disconnected from everyone and everything, Dylan (MacKay) angrily quits his job in a hotel after a smarmy new boss James (Elliott) arrives. And he decides to simply give in to his instincts for the next week, finding an abandoned cabin in the woods that he can live in. He also frees a zoo animal, parties with random people in clubs and tries to connect with a former coworker, Becky (Naomi). He also calls his sister Claire (McEwen), reminiscing about their childhood. But his thoughts turn increasingly dark, most notably when he finds a gun.

As the swirling imagery becomes increasingly impressionistic, the film begins to shift more toward the horror genre, with repeated fires and knives adding serious menace alongside that ominous pistol. The spiralling visuals are often edited strobe-like and out of focus, intercut with a collage of newsreel clips and home video footage of the young Dylan (Boyd) and Claire (Thomson), accompanied by Dylan's hushed, stream-of-consciousness narration.

The film feels deeply internalised, digging into Dylan's increasingly unhinged mindset. Mackay throws himself wholly into this role, allowing us to see Dylan's soul as it writhes within his body. It's even more remarkable because the film otherwise gives us so little to go on. Dylan isn't suicidal, but he has violent thoughts, and there's some grim self-harm involved as well. McEwan has several strong moments in a very fuzzy role, and Elliott is a standout as the relentlessly despicable James. Anyone would snap in his presence.

With very little apparent narrative structure, the film is essentially a meandering collection of images assembled in a way that evokes the bleak descent of a fragile mind. It's artful and intriguing enough to keep us watching, but the approach is never as powerful as the filmmaker thinks it is. And it also feels over-egged as it tries to push its important points without ever making them clear. Even so, there's a staggeringly unfiltered honesty that lingers in MacKay's eyes.

themes, language, violence 4.Aug.26

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See also: SHADOWS FILM FESTIVAL