Why we picked it – We try to find a vaguely romantic film for our screening closest to Valentine’s Day. This is wistful about lost love and explores the dangers of trying to recapture the past —but also very funny.

Synopsis – Charles Heath is an eccentric lottery winner living alone on an island off the coast of Wales. After winning the lottery, Charles travelled the world with his wife Marie, who died five years prior to the events of the film. Charles decides to get his and Marie’s favourite   musicians, Herb McGwyer and Nell Mortimer, to perform a private concert for him. Herb and Nell were a folk duo, musically and romantically, who were big ten years ago but have since broken up in both senses. Charles has not been completely honest with Herb and Nell about the size of the expected audience for the concert, and even less honest with Herb about inviting Nell as well as him.  
 

The film – The film originated as a short made in 2007. It is  available on You Tube (see the links below). It then took 17 years to turn it into a full length film. Many lines from the short appear verbatim in the film, but the character of Nell Mortimer, central to the plot of the full length film, is new.

Photography took 18 days in various locations in Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire but no islands were involved. 

Here is the director and cast talking about the making of the film

Links – imdb Financial Times review Guardian opinion piece inspired by the film

Director: James Griffiths, Writers: Tom Basden, Tim Key, Cinematography: Magni Ágústsson