Bait

I don't review many films on IMDB but was moved enough by BAIT to write something. The visuals are always interesting, shot in black and white it reminded me of some of the British WW2 propaganda films, especially with some of the performances that are by their nature very realistic and not showy. The performance of Edward Rowe is mesmerising as a tortured man, his livelihood threatened, his culture undermined, his sheer frustration with what life has dealt him. I really didn't know what to expect from his character with each twist and turn. I also really appreciated the non-romantic view of Cornwall, it wasn't idolised and showed the impact of the decline of traditional industry with the growth in tourism. I hope a lot of viewers won't be put off by it being in black and white as it deserves to be seen widely

'Bait (2019)' looks like a movie from the late twenties/ early thirties, with black-and-white cinematography and overdubbed dialogue. It's an odd decision, since the narrative doesn't demand this treatment in the slightest. The story is like something out of a soap opera, a small-town tale of tourism vs local business. It isn't just its abstract aesthetic that marks it as distinct; its plot is peppered with contextless scenes that could either be flashbacks or flash-forwards. This strange choice makes the movie much more confusing than it ought to be. It sort of comes across as an attempt to arbitrarily 'liven up' the flick's relatively straightforward story. Though it does transform the flick into somewhat of an enigma, it never really feels necessarily. The picture just doesn't quite come together as satisfyingly as it perhaps ought to. Its aesthetic is well-achieved, though, and its narrative is typically rather interesting. It's ultimately a fairly engaging experiment. 6/10

I love the texture in this, every shot is beautifully framed. A recent film, using old techniques (shot on 18mm).

Shot and edited by Mark Jenkin. All of the sound is done in Post-production. So much effort behind this, and it looks amazing.

Imagine this. Taylor Swift releases a bunch of new songs on a 78 rpm shellac record, and before selling it she adds some scratches to make it sound really old.

'Bait' is the cinematographic equivalent of this imaginary album. It's a movie set in the present, but made with the equipment and filming technique from a century ago. The result is that we see a modern story on grainy celluloid with lot of white flecks, and an image sometimes suddenly becoming darker or lighter. Even the sound is special: everything is dubbed, resulting in a certain stiffness we know from movies made in the 1930's.

It's a gimmick, and it's brilliantly done. 'Bait' is different from all other films you will see this year. And that in itself is a great quality. But is is the only one. The film is worthwile because of the gimmick. Take it away, and imagine the same story, filmed on an ordinary digital camera with great colours and good, natural sound, and it would be nothing special.

That's why the film didn't really appeal to me. It's not that I didn't appreciate the effort to make something out of the ordinary. I did, but halfway I wanted more than juist the gimmick. Also I had sometimes trouble following the logic of the story, and in my opinion the quick cross cutting scenes were a bit too much. If the 1930's style of the film would have served a purpose, for example in flash-backs or found footage, it would have been different. But now I was left with mixed feelings. I admire the audacity of the experiment, but I wasn't carried away by the overall cinematic experience.

... and the anger and the rage and the torment, in this exquisitely crafted modern day masterpiece whose tale mimics that of so many misplaced traditions and the voids they leave behind as they sink to the bottom of the briny. With outstanding cinematography and performances to boot - filmed in black & white, this is anything but monochrome.