Rose of Nevada

30 years after it and its three-man crew were lost during a storm, the titular fishing trawler mysteriously reappears at the harbour of a small Cornish fishing village in Mark Jenkin’s evocative latest feature, Rose of Nevada. While some in the community are wary of sending the boat back out to sea, Nick (George MacKay) and Liam (Callum Turner) sign up as fishermen under the command of veteran sailor Murgey (Francis Magee). The words “Get off this boat now” scratched into the wood by Nick’s bunk set an ominous tone as the vessel sets sail. Events only get stranger once they return to shore and discover that they’ve travelled back to 1993, where they’re believed to be the boat’s original crew.

Much like Bait and Enys Men, Jenkins’s third feature is deeply tied to the ocean and grapples with ideas of memory and community. Also like his previous works, Rose of Nevada is a wonderfully tactile and sensory piece of cinema. The grainy 16mm footage and analogue sound give the impression of uncovering a lost movie, while the rhythmic dripping of Nick’s leaky ceiling and the mechanical strain of the trawler’s winch evoke a distinct sense of place and atmosphere. Abstract imagery and editing further heighten the surreal mood, drawing audiences deeper into this strange and hypnotic journey through time.

Jenkin deploys a rich visual language throughout, blending shots of urban decay with both the harshness and serenity of life at sea. The result is a mesmerising tone poem that’s occasionally punctuated with effective bursts of psychological horror. While much of the plot is left to interpretation, the stark contrast between the run-down village in the present day and its bustling past can be understood as mourning the death of small fishing communities.

For as wonderful as MacKay and Turner’s understated performances are, it’s Magee who frequently steals the spotlight. The actor is a riotous blast as the boat’s weathered and charismatic skipper, whose mysterious identity is another compelling part of these peculiar events.

With Rose of Nevada, Jenkins has further cemented himself as one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary cinema. While his latest feature sticks to familiar territory, this is his most polished and ambitious offering to date, giving viewers something that’s brilliantly weird and wholly intoxicating.