Rent North Sea Texas (2011)

A sincere engaging film. - North Sea Texas review by tw

This film draws you directly into the emotional interplay between two working class single mother families. You only notice afterwards, the few characters and limited sets could almost have been a play and it has the same compelling engagement, which is difficult to achieve in film. The story of love, hope and expectations against a stark backdrop with limited opportunities is never depressing, nor sentimental.  This carefully crafted film is not as simple as the story may suggest, but a realistic exploration of relationships and humanity with sensitivity and insight eliciting convincing performances from some very young actors.    

Beautiful cinematography & a brilliant performance by Jelle Florizoone can’t disguise the flaws - North Sea Texas review by TB

This is a film which in many ways I can’t make my mind up about and that is as much a frustration as a criticism.

There are so many overwhelming positives about this film, in particular it’s cinematography, lead performance by Jelle Florizoone, music, costumes and locations. But it also has some gaping flaws, and by the end you feel glad you’d gone on the journey but frustrated about what could have been.  

Florizoone, making his debut here, is a revelation. He is completely compelling and the softness, combined with the jealousy and also pain he feels is perfectly acted and you absolutely buy into his coming of age feelings. Unlike Tom Hiddleston in the Night Manager, which I saw recently and was an exercise in someone straining every sinew to audition for/pretend to be James Bond, Florizoone simply exists in the moment and the naturalness of his performance is what makes it work. The other performers are also very good and everyone does the best they can with the material that they have.

As mentioned before, the cinematography, colour palette, costumes and locations are far and away the best thing about this film. DP Anton Mertens is the unsung hero of this production, and his work is for me the main draw. Whether lensing inside a tent with candlelight, or capturing a walk along the beach, his work is stunning. The small casual moments and intimacy are massively enhanced by this master of his art. 

Like all films about love, whether the characters are gay or straight, there are clichés which are expected but also comforting. But when the script is lacking in many things which you want, or expect or even feel are logical, then you start to become detached from it. And this is the issue I have with North Sea Texas.

The biggest problem for me was the illogical character actions which start to undo all the great work that the other elements of the film work so hard to build up. The starkest one is the sudden vanishing of one of the main characters with no explanation, especially when their actions are not only illogical but also illegal. But this is never more than casually referenced by the film’s characters and then brushed aside, never to be mentioned again. For a film that repeatedly references the fact that it is in many ways a dream, it takes certain things absolutely seriously which it feels works for it, then dismisses serious things that might bring it back down to earth.

Also, even though it is welcomingly short in runtime so as not to overstretch the world it exists in, there are still wasted moments. One character, who was referenced throughout the film leading upto his appearance, appeared to have simply been brought in to look sultry and break hearts, before vanishing with no real explanation.

And this is the frustration for me: with a better script and more logical choices, this would have been a 5 star film. And when the poor decisions of the writing override the perfect production, it leaves you at the end feeling frustrated at what could have been. But still absolutely a worthy rental.