Richard Crouse

SYNOPSIS: A low-fi sci-fi drama of the mysterious reappearance of a fishing vessel that was lost at sea thirty years ago, “Rose of Nevada” relies on evocative images and sound rather than story to tell its haunting tale.

CAST: George MacKay, Callum Turner, Rosalind Eleazar, Francis Magee, Mary Woodvine, Edward Rowe, Adrian Rawlins. Written, edited, composed and directed by Mark Jenkin.

REVIEW: Unique in tone and style, “Rose of Nevada” is confusing and compelling in equal measure. It’s a challenging time loop story with atmosphere to burn, that defies mainstream tropes.

In the thirty years since the Rose of Nevada and crew vanished at sea, its home port, a remote Cornish fishing village, has fallen into hard times. When the ship mysteriously returns, the villagers see it as a return of their former prosperity. “That boat was lost. Are we gonna try again? Who’s gonna crew?”

Happy to have work, Nick (George MacKay) and Liam (Callum Turner) sign up as crew, working alongside experienced skipper Murgey (Francis Magee). “The only thing worse than being at sea,” says the skipper, “is not being at sea.”

They return to the village after a successful and bountiful voyage—despite the message “Get off the boat now,” carved into the ship’s hull—only to be mistaken for the long-lost sailors of thirty years ago in a village they no longer recognize.

The first thing you’ll notice about “Rose of Nevada” is its roughhewn, grainy look. That’s courtesy of the old-school 16mm Bolex camera filmmaker Mark Jenkin used to shoot the movie. It gives the visuals a dreamlike quality that feels timeless, or, in this case, lost in time. The grain feels tangible, just like the ship’s weather worn wood or the craggy landscapes of the peninsula at the southwestern tip of England.

The result is something that feels otherworldly without announcing itself as such.

But all the atmosphere in the world wouldn’t add up to much is there wasn’t an emotional core to the performances. MacKay and Turner do extraordinary work, grounding the otherworldly movie with natural authentic performances. It adds heart to a film and believably places the themes of identity and sacrifice front and center.

“Rose of Neveda” doesn’t offer any easy answers. The psychological drama is dense, like a particularly confounding episode of “The Twilight Zone,” but the journey is ultimately intellectually rewarding.