Dir: Nora Fingschiedt | cast: Saoirse Ronan, Saskia Reeves, Stephen Dilane,
Saoirse Ronan is the star of this dour character drama set in the Orkney Islands where she plays a struggling alcoholic in a dysfunctional family.
Some people have terrible lives and really suffer to keep on the right path but why do we lionise those who resort to drugs and drink to keep going when there are so many who manage to triumph through sheer grit and determination in the face of tragedy and strife.
Saved by some the ethereal landscapes and some watchable performances from Ronan, Saskia Reeves, and Stephen Diane (as her parents) you nevertheless come away wondering why this overhyped, plotless and un-involving film with its jump cuts to dismal London and gorgeous nature shots needed to go on for two whole hours. The seals are the highpoint of a sad but otherwise rather average portrait of addiction based on a memoir by Amy Liptrot. @MeredithTaylor
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