''Bait'' is a 2019 British

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

written and directed by Mark Jenkin. Starring Edward Rowe as a struggling fisherman, the film deals with the tensions that arise between locals and tourists in a Cornish fishing village against a backdrop of second homes, short-term lets, and

gentrification Gentrification is the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more affluent residents and businesses. It is a common and controversial topic in urban politics and planning. Gentrification often increases the ...

Plot

Martin Ward is a fisherman in a picturesque Cornish village. He struggles to make ends meet fishing without a boat, while his brother Steven uses their late father's vessel to offer cruise trips to visiting tourists. Meanwhile, tensions arise between Martin and the out-of-town Leigh family, who use the harbour-front 'Skipper's Cottage' they bought from Martin and Steven as a seasonal holiday home and short-term rental business.

Cast

* Edward Rowe as Martin Ward * Mary Woodvine as Sandra Leigh * Simon Shepherd as Tim Leigh * Georgia Ellery as Katie Leigh * Giles King as Steven Ward * Chloe Endean as Wenna Kowalski * Isaac Woodvine as Neil Ward

Production

Jenkin filmed ''Bait'' using a vintage hand-cranked Bolex camera, using 16mm monochrome film that he hand processed. Shooting locations include Charlestown and West Penwith, in Cornwall.

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...

, the film holds an approval rating of based on reviews, with an average score of . The site's critical consensus reads, "As visually distinctive as it is narratively satisfying, Bait blends a classic aesthetic with timely themes to produce a thrillingly original and uniquely enriching drama." On

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

, the film has a weighted average score of 84 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Writing in ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper Sunday editions, published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group, Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. ...

'',

Mark Kermode Mark James Patrick Kermode (, ; ; born 2 July 1963) is an English film critic, musician, radio presenter, television presenter and podcaster. He is the chief film critic for ''The Observer'', contributes to the magazine ''Sight & Sound'', pre ...

gave a glowing review, describing the film as 'a genuine modern masterpiece, which establishes Jenkin as one of the most arresting and intriguing British film-makers of his generation.' He later named ''Bait'' his favourite film of both the year and the decade.

Peter Bradshaw Peter Bradshaw (born 19 June 1962) is a British writer and film critic. He has been chief film critic at ''The Guardian'' since 1999, and is a contributing editor at ''Esquire''. Early life and education Bradshaw was educated at Haberdasher ...

in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

'' called the film 'intriguing and unexpectedly watchable', in a four-star review that remarked on the experimental nature of the film.

Accolades

References

External links

* * * * {{Metacritic film, title=Bait 2019 films British drama films 2019 drama films Films set in Cornwall Films shot in Cornwall Works about gentrification Films shot in 16 mm film 2010s English-language films 2010s British films