Bait (2019)
(Mark Jenkin, UK 2019, 89 min., DCP)
Martin Ward is a cove fisherman without a boat. His brother Steven has re-purposed their father’s vessel as a tourist tripper, driving a wedge between the brothers. With their childhood home now a getaway for London money, Martin is displaced to the estate above the picturesque harbor. As his struggle to restore the family to their traditional place creates increasing friction with tourists and locals alike, a tragedy at the heart of the family changes his world. Cornish director Mark Jenkin shot Bait on 16mm black and white Kodak stock with a 1976 Bolex spring-wound camera, providing a maximum of 28 seconds per take. He then hand-processed the film himself using an antique Bakelite rewind tank. No two rolls of film came out the same, creating an unsettling aesthetic that supports the bleak, sea-drenched narrative.