Mark Jenkin made a splash with two twitchy films that lean heavily into folk legend, Bait and Enys Men (review here). The haunting continues with Jenkin’s latest, Rose of Nevada, as the unnatural terrors of the past come charging, or sailing, into the present with dire consequences.
George MacKay (1917) and Callum Turner (Eternity) star as fishermen in an economically devastated Cornish village in Jenkin’s Rose of Nevada. Hope begins to spring when a ship, the titular Rose of Nevada, suddenly returns after vanishing mysteriously 30 years prior. MacKay and Turner’s characters join the ship’s crew in hopes of making enough money to feed their families, only to get stuck in a weird time warp that changes everything, and everyone, they once held dear.
Jenkin is a multi-faceted filmmaker who keeps his hands in every pot. Here, he’s writer, director, editor, and composer of the musical score. All of the film’s sound design was constructed in post-production, with Jenkin shooting each scene with a 16mm Bolex camera. It’s understandable why Jenkin is quickly amassing a huge fan following.
SYNOPSIS: Three decades ago, the Rose of Nevada vanished at sea, along with its crew. Now, it has returned. In a remote fishing village, its reappearance is embraced as an auspicious sign, with the local citizens convinced the luck of their economically devastated community may turn, if only the ship sails again. Joining the crew is Nick (George MacKay), desperate to provide for his young family, and Liam (Callum Turner), a mysterious drifter eager to escape his past. After a successful voyage, they return to harbor, only to find that nothing is as they remember it.
Rose of Nevada hits theaters on June 19th from 1-2 Special.
