THE LIST: Review - "dramatic, funny and spectacular"
2nd August 2007
Remarkable tale-within-a-tale steeped in Gaelic myth
Working with a tiny budget, director Simon Miller and producer Christopher Young’s remarkable first-ever Gaelic feature is dramatic, funny and spectacular, and steeped in Gaelic mythology. Transcending their modest means, largely by collaborating with local talent from Skye where the film was shot, Miller and Young celebrate Gaelic culture and highlight the importance of storytelling in the preservation of it.
Framed by a present day story, in which Angus returns home to visit his dying grandfather, Seachd unfolds as a series of tales-within-tales with the young man recalling his upbringing listening to the old man’s stories.
Among them is a fantastical adventure in which a romantic hero attempts a seemingly impossible climb to the summit of the titular mountain in order to pick a mythic crimson snowdrop and save the life of his ailing beloved. That latter tale is mirrored in the feature by Angus’ quest to discover how his parents died while climbing the dangerous peak. In order to capture the breathtakingly vertiginous shots, Miller and his crew climbed Sgurr Dearg, one of the Munro peaks in the famous Cuillin range and the only one Sir Hugh Munro never attempted. (Miles Fielder)
Cameo, Home Street, 0131 228 2688, 16 Aug, 7.30pm, prices start from £6.50 (£4.55).
By Miles Fielder