Russell Owen’s “Shepherd”
Shepherd (2021)
Bland cinematography and editing along with a clunky, trope-heavy script fails to capitalise on its epic setting or ideas
Ex partner smiling and dancing on a beach with blonde hair and dress twirling in slow motion, figure in red in a forest of muted colours, jump scares that are just a dream and a laughable twist amount to what I imagine the first AI generated movies will look like; soulless and derivative.
Kate Dickie is a standout in a supporting role that’s far more interesting than the lead. Tom Hughes who wasn’t bad in “The English” is struggling here to nearly single handedly carry this film. His eyes are expressionless from end to end and where this worked when he was the villain of the piece, here it’s just dull. To be fair, the failures in the script, editing and cinematography contribute, but seeing how things are invigorated by Dickie’s presence in the same circumstances put his performance in a poor light.
Some critics have complemented the atmosphere but despite being on a desolate and presumably cold island, I never once felt anything more than I do than watching a video from the Tourist Board of Scotland. Also, annoyingly, our protagonist is on the island to be a shepherd, he has a job which doesn’t seem to entail much more than finding the sheep and looking at them(once) and then spending the rest of the time making tea or wandering.
Having watched Mark Jenkins’ “Enys Men” yesterday, the flaws in the editing and cinematography really stand out here. For example, Owen makes use of camera moves that don’t serve much purpose aside from distraction. Cuts show too much. In one scene, our shepherd makes a cup of tea and goes outside but we see him light the stove, the kettle boiling, him pouring the tea, walking across the room, opening the door, walking out of the door and this takes several minutes which feels clunky.
If this looks appealing, you may want to try better alternatives like Gareth Evans’ “The Apostle”, Romola Garai’s “Amulet”, Robert Eggers’ “The Lighthouse” or Pål Sletaune’s “Next Door (Naboer)”. And if you’re feeling adventurous Mark Jenkin’s “Enys Men”.
