Review: A gig on a fishing boat becomes a cosmic misadventure in the eerie 'Rose of Nevada'
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No matter how trapped you feel in your circumstance, remember: Things could always get worse.That cruel realization haunts the cash-strapped protagonist of English filmmaker Mark Jenkin’s transfixing, increasingly despairing “Rose of Nevada.” This story of two strangers who take a job on a fishing boat — their lives are irrevocably altered once they return to shore — slowly pulls you inside its disquieting design.
By the time you get your bearings, you’re ensnared in its net.On the shore of a nondescript, decaying seaside town, a boat that went missing 30 years ago suddenly reappears.This modest trawler, the Rose of Nevada, no longer contains its doomed crew and yet here it is, without explanation and ready for new fishermen.
Piloted by Murgey (Francis Magee), a stereotypically crusty captain, the boat welcomes Nick (George MacKay), a devoted husband and father of a young daughter, and Liam (Callum Turner), a sullen drifter.Nick and Liam have little in common except a desperate need for work.
Spending a few days at sea, they bring in a huge haul, but it’s apparent these two men will never be friends: Nick just wants to provide for his family while Liam is only thinking about his next pint.When they get back to land, though, they discover they’re bound together by a bizarre new reality.At first, the change is imperceptible but Nick notices that his sleepy village seems more vibrant, more populated with people.
The cars are older models.And, most alarmingly, Nick’s home doesn’t belong to him — and his wife and daughter aren’t there.
His wizened next-door neighbors (Mary Woodvine and Adrian Rawlins) are younger, mistaking him for their son Luke, a former crew member of the Rose of Nevada who died by suicide.Grabbing a newspaper, Nick learns the horrible truth: Somehow, he has traveled back to 1993 and been placed in Luke’s former life.For Nick, this str...