Shell (2012)

I'll tell you why so serious

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

There are still places in the far north west of Scotland where you can drive for miles and scarcely see a house, with vast uninhabited moors between the roads, but for the most part, life in these parts is a story of small, remote communities that are communities nonetheless. Scott Graham's film takes us to lonelier place, however, the story of a young woman living an unhealthily close life with her needy, epileptic father: this might not be a normal life even in the highlands, but this a certainly a place where the daily practice of separation from others could lead to emotional isolation. The film follows the maxim of "show don't tell", which is often a good one; but here we only see a bleak portrait of empty lives, with exemplary incidents but little narrative: it's almost impossible to judge anyone as "good", "bad", or even "likeable" this far outside the normal physical and moral terrain. It's not an awful film, but a dash of something - humour, plot, malice - would not have gone amiss.

I loved this film from the moment I read the Synopsis.I need to figure out where this was actually filmed as the roads are spectacular and look like they make for some nice driving. The petrol Station is very cute indeed.For me the weather and remoteness of the location made the whole film for me, it gave the impression of a great desperateness and struggle against the cold which seemed to parallel the emotions portrayed by all of the characters.A few nice cars on show too including a very tidy "Q" plated Series II Land Rover Pickup kitted out with Recover Gear, and a very tidy 1976 Fiesta XR2i which appears to have been borrowed from a member of highlandoldskoolfords.co.ukWatch out for an appearance from Michael Smiley (known more for his role as Benny in Luther) as Hugh a lonely regular who becomes a bit too close for comfort at times

Scottish screenwriter and director Scott Graham's feature film debut which he wrote, premiered in the New Directors section at the 60th San Sebastián International Film Festival in 2012, was shot on location in Scotland and is a UK production which was produced by producers David Smith and Margaret Matheson. It tells the story about a 17-year-old woman named Shell who lives with her father named Pete at a gas station in the Scottish countryside which he made years ago. Shell spends most of her days waiting for new customers and most of the time meets people who are just passing by. She has become friendly with a middle-aged man named Hugh who usually makes a stop at their place when he is on his way to see his children who lives with their mother and is sometimes visited by a man close to her age named Adam who works at a sawmill nearby and who seeks her company, but Shell's only constant is her father whom she has grown as attached to as any daughter could to her father.Distinctly and acutely directed by Scottish filmmaker Scott Graham, this quietly paced fictional tale which is narrated mostly from the main character's point of view, draws a silently reflective and consistently moving portrayal of a strangely though understandably affectionate relationship between a man whom is suffering both from illness and personal experiences and his daughter whose only communication with the outside world, which is an enigma to her, is through brief encounters with various passers-by. While notable for its naturalistic and prominent milieu depictions, evocative and masterful cinematography by cinematographer Yoliswa Gärtig, fine production design by production designer James Lapsley and use of sound and music, this narrative-driven story about blood ties and an increasingly isolating dependency that has kept two people inseparable, depicts two interrelated studies of character regarding two relatives who are becoming painfully aware of how chained they are to each other and how stuck they have become.This refined, situational and authentic coming-of-age drama which is set mostly at a remote roadside petrol station in the Scottish highlands during an autumn and where a single parent and his only child whom is in the transition between adolescence and adulthood is being internally changed and differently affected by the majestic landscape which surrounds and contrasts them and is a character in itself, is impelled and reinforced by its fleeting narrative structure, substantial character development, subtle continuity, graceful melancholy and psychological depth, poignant conversations, discreet humour, humane characters and the perceptive acting performances by Scottish actress Chloe Pirrie, English actor Joseph Mawle, Irish actor Michael Smiley, Scottish actress Kate Dickie and Scottish actor Iain De Caestecker. A mythical, cinematographic and mysteriously atmospheric character piece about the human condition and a timeless narrative feature which is one of the finest Scottish films in recent years.

Artsy-fartsy character study of creepy father and daughter combo stranded in the middle of nowhere. As the minutes of your life tick away never to return the only comfort to be had is the knowledge that at least your life is not as godawful as theirs.One-note throughout, it plods, grimly towards it's dreary conclusion. Whoever thought this was worth funding clearly has more money than sense.The acting is suitably stilted to the point of somnambulent. The dialog is largely monosyllabic. All in all, it is truly the movie equivalent of watching paint dry. Not only was it never worth a trip to the cinema it isn't even worth a free download. Don't waste your electricity.