“Best Drama”

★★★★

“It’s accomplished with great attention to detail. ”

When a soldier returns from the Falklands War, he's forced to re-live his experience and explain how his deployment turned to tragedy.

Director Jack Catterall takes on this dramatic short with precision and care, making a truly dramatic piece that audiences of all kinds will connect with. The story of Bluff Cove is intriguing and something that Catterall clearly has great knowledge of. Attempting a short war film is a challenging feat in itself, but it’s accomplished with great attention to detail.

Catterall takes on writing duties along with Tom Voysey which comes at no surprise, it’s evident that this film was made by a writer/director as the execution is faultless. The use of flashbacks mixed with real time scenes is effective and brings more significance to the story. The editing from Sophie Dymond works very well through the film and is incredibly effective at keeping you engaged. Dymond lets the story unfold for itself without the need to over edit, it’s simple yet very effective.

Taylor Ford Wallace delivers are genuine performance as the film's lead ‘Harry’ and is given a lot to work with. The same can be said of Jacquelin Morison as 'Grace' who plays her role with a sense of realism. The casting in the film was well-chosen and helps to elevate the film in many ways.

In terms of production, the film holds up well. The cinematography from Jake Duncan is superb and suits the genre perfectly. It’s subtle and dramatic, with a good use of natural light to create a cinematic colour palette which deserves to be watched on the silver screen. Surprisingly, the music was also created by writer Tom Voysey which is not something you typically see. Voysey does an excellent job at creating a nostalgic and heroic themes which defines the film and helps the audience to feel the drama.

The location, props, costumes and subtle VFX all work hand in hand and certainly make the film feel bigger. It’s an interesting choice of film to make from what seems like a relatively young crew. So props need to be given to them for attempting it in the first place.

Everyone involved in this short should be proud. Considering the low budget to make this film, we would love to see what they could make with something more substantial. It’s a dramatic story which may educate some younger viewers on an important time in British history. Give it a watch if you can!

— APEX Film Awards