Bait
BAIT - BFI
Directed by Mark Jenkin, Bait is a masterclass of film production on every level. Set in the background of a floundering system amid Brexit, Jenkin's film follows jaded fisherman Martin Ward (Edward Rowe) as he slowly falls into the midst of class chaos when a family moves into his childhood Cornwall home and disrupts the social system. Bait is a brooding portrayal of unreasonable intensity that builds into a vicious cycle of sentiment and trauma. An excellent character study first and foremost, but also an all-important examination into the societal melting pot of money deprived Cornwall amid financial and political chaos.
The trauma and pressure Jenkin's film explores are not only eye-opening but traumatising to behold. Tranquillity meets terror in this damning assessment of the current state of the country’s backward system. Said political underbelly is subtly evocative and flawlessly implemented here to what is essentially mere background noise but casts a dark and large shadow to the events that unfold in a subconsciously tactile manner.
Jenkin not only writes and directs this stirring feature but also acts as cinematographer and editor; beyond all doubt, he succeeds in all departments with rousing triumph. Bait looks and sounds nothing short of incredible - breathtaking in fact - throughout its eighty seven-minute running time. The former is impeccable while the latter is outrageously effective.
The monochrome scratched film employs crackles and jumps in an evocative sense of homemade documentary footage, not too dissimilar to something akin to the late D. A. Pennebaker's work. The result is a magically indicative old fashioned time stamp approach of engagement and connection that ironically hints how regressive this current society is. The edit is both ferocious and delicately balanced, this serves both sides of emotional intensity at a superb level. Bait has this fiery element that causes a storm but in the next breath secludes itself to a patient and endearing formula. Both ideals are, once again, a perfect testament to the underbelly of the societal sphere evolving at a rapid pace in the narrative, which is building to dire consequences from all parties involved.
The sound design is equally as dominating on screen, and thus captivating as a pounding and ferocious element that enthralls all attention to lead actor Edward Rowe's rendition of Martin Ward. He is commanding on-screen with vital, authoritative screen presence of a monster that fills the entire image. Rowe is gigantic on-screen, and the idea to minimalise his dialogue and maximise his domineering presence is a genius decision from Jenkin. This isn’t due to the lack of talent, but to exhibit how frightening and commandeering this man can be and how much he succeeds triumphantly.
Bait is released on August 30, 2019.
