Garnet’s Gold (2014)

The Worst Film Ever

Pretty Good

Just perfect...

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

This is quite the best piece of television I have seen in ages. Garnet and his mother will live long in the memory. The filming was beautiful, witty, and affectionate. Garnet's musings on life and love were the thoughts of an Everyman but also showed his uniquely eccentric (and poetic) talent surfacing irrepressibly. Watching his story unfold we are each challenged as to what constitutes success, the value of investing in our relationships and what's meant by leading 'a good life.' Blessed are the poor in spirit all right. Garnet's painfully honest self assessment puts him only "a little lower than the angels." There are nuggets of pure gold wisdom hidden in these 75 minutes. Well done Ed Perkins.

I stumbled across this Storyville film on BBC4 by chance. Without doubt it has a most profound affect on me which I struggle to explain. I am not moved easily but found this film has been with me since I viewed it last week. Perhaps it is because we can all see parts of ourselves within Garnet that it captures our inner imaginations and emotions. I particularly liked his interaction with his elderly mother, who proves to be a captivating woman to watch and listen to her words of wisdom. Garnet has entered my world now and I want to see and hear more of, and from, him. I hope Ed Perkins can find time to do a follow-up that has the same magic. Please watch and make your own judgment. Full marks to the writer and director Ed Perkins for his vision and wonderful photography to take the chance to share this story.

Great story, Garnet Frost is an English gem. Beautifully filmed with some wonderful Scottish landscapes the photography is stunning. A quirky, intelligent, interesting man's journey handled by the film maker's with what felt like a genuine warmth. How nice these days to see a persons life treated with dignity and interest rather than the shoddy, "let's laugh at someone different" TV we're mostly served up. I thought this is really about a quest by a man to find his place in the world with a subplot of his search for lost gold. We see the ups and downs of an ordinary/extraordinary man's life as he struggles with love lost, the health of his mum, finances and his passionate search for Bonny Prince Charlie's lost gold ! Along the way there are pub singalongs, marauding midges, weather balloons and a marvellous taste of his poetry. As far as I'm concerned it's a little treasure !

In a world...yes, it sounds like a movie, but, in a world of sometimes too much cacophony with adverts and sensationalistic images, we may forget the true meaning of the Human condition: to do the best with who you are and what you have and to love and be loved. Garnet frost story is unbelievable touching as it is someone redeeming himself for some unresolved finished actions towards jobs or even trying his dream. Without to tell the story, what I can say it that from the cinematography to the insight of someone's uniqueness sprinkled with a good dose of eccentricity, you will be just in awe of this film: it should be on any college curriculum to show how special people can be, even when it might not be obvious from the start.The genius of Director Ed Perkins in humbling, the passion for that project of Producers Simon Chinn and John Battsek are inspiring. The editing of Paul Carlin is masterful and the music of J. Ralph is mesmerizing: a must to uplift your soul and touch your heart forever...