Short movie : Ghost Nets (2016)

Summary
The discovery that three surfers make whilst camping on a deserted beach shows them that everything washes ashore eventually.

Genre : Drama/Short
Country : UK

Cast :
Joe Sowerbutts : Neal

Bruce Lawrence : Jack
Charlotte Mounter : Matilda

Director : Mark Bousfield

My opinion

"That doesn’t mean that I have to like you.”

A short commentary on a short film. "Ghost Nets" tells the story of three relatives somewhere on the English coast, setting up their tents there with the intention to go surfing in the salty wet from the North Sea. From the outset it's clear that the relationship between Neal (Joe Sowerbutts) and Jack (Bruce Lawrence) isn't really an example of how brothers treat eachother. A burdensome secret from the past is haunting them, as we will learn later. Matilda (Charlotte Mounter), girlfriend / wife of Jack (I suppose) is the neutral person who tries to mitigate the circumstances.

The very first thing I noticed, was the use of sharp images which were edited in a rather professional manner. The desolate coastline, screaming gulls and the apparent coldness were brought into vision in a perfect way. The content of Neal's discovery is unknown and it'll still remain a mystery after the movie's ending. Apparently it can have an immense impact on the people involved. That was kind of obvious at a certain moment. It seemed like the content was very important. Of such importance that even a total stranger appeared to claim it.

Unfortunately, for me this was the weakest moment of the movie. This fourth person showing up and the resulting situation, looked quite amateurishly accomplished. In a short time the professional view was undermined and I got a feeling as if I was watching at some hobbyists creation. Besides that, the film was quite intriguing and the dialogues and performances of the cast were of an acceptable level. I'm still puzzled about the film title and its meaning. Is it a reference to lost fishing nets drifting around in the ocean and being a threat to the wildlife in the sea. Or is it about the disturbed relationship between the two brothers? Or was the content of the thing Neal discovered owned by a criminal network? It remains a mystery to me. But damn, I really wanted to know what it was and why they made such a fuss about it. Perhaps it'll be clarified in a future feature film!