Bait (2019 film)

Bait is a 2019 British drama film 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.

Bait
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMark Jenkin
Written byMark Jenkin
Produced by
  • Kate Byers
  • Linn Waite
Starring
CinematographyMark Jenkin
Edited byMark Jenkin
Production
company
Early Day Films
Distributed byBFI Films
Release date
  • 30 August 2019 (2019-08-30)
Running time
89 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

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

Production

Jenkin filmed Bait using a vintage hand-cranked Bolex camera, using 16mm monochrome film that he hand processed.[1] Shooting locations include Charlestown and West Penwith, in Cornwall.[2]

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 100% based on 39 reviews, with an average score of 8.5/10. 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."[3] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 84 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[4]

Writing in The Observer, Mark Kermode 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.'[5] He later named Bait his favourite film of both the year and the decade.[6] Peter Bradshaw in The Guardian called the film 'intriguing and unexpectedly watchable', in a four-star review that remarked on the experimental nature of the film.[7]

Accolades
Year Festival or Institution Category Nominees Result Citation
2019 British Independent Film Awards Best Director Mark Jenkin Nominated [8]
Best British Independent Film Mark Jenkin, Kate Byers, Linn Waite Nominated
Breakthrough Producer Kate Byers, Linn Waite Won
Best Editing Mark Jenkin Nominated
Edinburgh International Film Festival Michael Powell Award for Best British Feature Film Mark Jenkin Nominated [9]
Galway Film Fleadh Best International Film Mark Jenkin Nominated [10]
IndieLisboa International Independent Film Festival Audience Award for Best Feature Film Mark Jenkin Won [11]
International Competition - Grand Prize City of Lisbon Mark Jenkin Nominated
Istanbul International Film Festival Golden Tulip Award Mark Jenkin Nominated [12]
Montreal Festival of New Cinema Prix de l'expérimentation Mark Jenkin Nominated [10]
Stockholm International Film Festival Best Director Mark Jenkin Won [13]
Best Film Mark Jenkin Nominated
New Horizons Film Festival Audience Award for Best Film Mark Jenkin Won [14]
Grand Prix Mark Jenkin Won
British Academy Film Awards Outstanding British Film Mark Jenkin, Kate Byers, and Linn Waite Nominated [15]
Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer Mark Jenkin (Writer/Director); Kate Byers, Linn Waite (Producers) Won
2020 Crested Butte Film Festival Best Narrative Feature Mark Jenkin Won [16]

References
  1. Mantgani, Ian (30 August 2019). "Bait first look: Mark Jenkin heralds the new weird Britain". British Film Institute. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  2. "BAIT Film by Lecturer Mark Jenkin Gains International Acclaim". News. Falmouth University. 7 February 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  3. "Bait (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  4. "Bait". Metacritic. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  5. Kermode, Mark (1 September 2019). "Bait review – one of the defining British films of the decade". Guardian. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  6. Kermode, Mark (29 December 2019). "Mark Kermode's best films of 2019". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  7. Bradshaw, Peter (29 August 2019). "Bait review – fishing-town drama reels you into its weird world". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  8. "Nominations · BIFA · British Independent Film Awards". BIFA · British Independent Film Awards. 21 October 2019. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
  9. "EIFF 2019 Official Awards | Edinburgh International Film Festival". www.edfilmfest.org.uk. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
  10. Bait - IMDb, retrieved 29 November 2019
  11. "Mark Jenkin's Bait wins the Audience Award for best feature film". IndieLisboa. 13 May 2019. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
  12. madebycat.com. "Bait". İKSV. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
  13. "This year's festival winners". Stockholms filmfestival. 15 November 2019. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
  14. Grynienko, Katarzyna (1 January 1970). "FNE at New Horizons IFF 2019: Bait Wins Grand Prize at 19th New Horizons IFF". FilmNewEurope.com. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
  15. Ritman, Alex (6 January 2020). "'Joker' Leads BAFTA 2020 Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
  16. "2020 Award Winning Films". cbfilmfest.org. Crested Butte Film Festival. Archived from the original on 12 October 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
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