Shepherd

First of all, I'm a horror film fan. The scarier, bloodier and crazier the better. That's not to say I have unsophisticated taste, though. I absolutely loved this movie. It's not "scary" scary, or bloody. It's not particularly crazy either. This isn't a cheap looking home movie, like some low budget flicks out there. It had a Hitchcock style vibe to it (think Vertigo) that drew me in from the beginning. I usually hate dream sequences as a cheap plot device, but here it's really hard to tell what's a dream, a fantasy, or reality. The atmosphere of a foggy, cold island with the creepy sheep and bell from the lighthouse take you on a journey of psychological horror. This is a very well done, well acted movie. I highly recommend this for a more mature audience. It's not a popcorn horror movie, which is actually nice for a change.

I was pleasantly surprised by this film since I did not go in expecting much due to the low ratings and negative reviews.

If you like old-style, cerebral, slow-building horror I urge you to give this film a look. The cinematography is luscious, the location is stark and beautiful (Scottish Hebrides) and the acting is great. The imagery is profound.

No, it isn't a thrill-a-minute scare-fest but it is a worthy well-crafted film.

Give it a shot.

Every frame was intentional. Although some may find the film too slow, I enjoyed and appreciated every minute. Beautifully done in EVERY area!!

From the gorgeous open stark and rugged landscapes, to the reflections on water puddles and window.....this movie was done with intent behind every millisecond!!

The camera shots were smooth and varied and came from unexpected angles and views.

The score or music added significantly to the atmosphere seamlessly without over riding the other expressions.

The acting was superbly understated and there were some wonderful symbolism within this story.

The actual screenplay was just a little less tight than everything else for me. Perhaps (I'm guessing here) that it was a cultural/national subtlety that didn't translate as clearly.... But, again, It was SUBTLE and everything else was so generously and perfectly executed that it didn't effect my enjoyment or appreciation for this film.

After his adulterous wife dies in an accident, a grieving husband decides to take a job shepherding sheep on a remote island nearby to process the situation only to be tormented by a seemingly malicious spirit intent on unearthing a hidden truth about the incident.

Overall, there's not much to this one. The fact that it manages to evoke a mysterious and generally eerie atmosphere here is about all that works as this one generates some impressive atmosphere due to the situation. The sense of isolation here with his physically being stranded on the remote island as well as mentally with the ghosts of his past rendering him incapable of anything other than taking a job on this island offers a fantastic building block to work The supernatural sequences off of. From strange behaviors by his dog forcing him to look around the house, eerie bowling in the distance that no one else can respond to or the strange discoveries around the island he keeps making, this one manages an effectively chilling scenario that may or may not be in his mind. However, while this creates a fantastic starting point the film never does much else with it. That's due to the dreary and depressing tone that carries on throughout here as the quiet, slow-burn setup keeps the overt scares away in favor of a more unnerving series of psychological mind games involving a person not ready to accept their fate. This offers up a highly puzzling setup that might not work for most out there which gets this one off to a rather underwhelming beginning point. Less troublesome but also detrimental is the somewhat overlong running time for this kind of genre effort which does make this one somewhat of a challenge to get through. Otherwise, these are the only flaws here.

Rated R: Violence and Language.

Far under-rated at 4.9! One of the problems with today's viewers seems to be their extreme need for fast, gory, action packed "horror".

This is a great film for those who can deal with a slower paced show with things to think on. There are fabulous, unusual, eerie views of some very remote and very old scenery of house, and decrepit light house quite possibly now gone.

Would have liked to have seen the sheep theme worked in more. Never did we see a flock of hundreds as mentioned in the want ad. They can have such distinct personalities it would have been cool to see them as representatives of people of his past... and a bit more relationship with his 8 year old dog.

What spurred me to watch this obviously wasn't the ratings. It was the remoteness of the Scottish countryside and part of a trailer showing the great cinematography expressing the power of wild nature.

Recommended for a relaxing watch which might leave you with things to think on about your own relationships, paranoia and phobias. Enjoy - I sure did!