Small-town calm with Local Hero
I have developed a pretty good idea of what types of films I will most likely like and thus choose to watch them, but it is also important to be challgend once in a while to see something I normally wouldn’t pick up. Participating in the IndieWeb Movie Club is a great way to achieve that. This month Vander Wal has chosen 'Local Hero', a film from 1983 by Bill Forsyth. A film I had never heard of, and with the exception of Burt Lancaster none of the people working on the film were recognisable. I am glad the library had a DVD of this and that I gave it a chance.
What stood out for me was how calm, soft and generally positive the film was. Its general premise, however, is pretty dire, with a representative from a big oil company travelling to a small town in Scotland with the goal of buying all the property, so the company can build a massive oil refinery. It could have been handled with angry citizens and businessmen portrayed as having no regard for environmental damage, but instead everything happens in a really calm and pretty agreeable manner. It isn’t exactly dramatic or suspenseful what happens, things just goes through the motions, as the townspeople aren’t opposed to selling and there are barely negotiations. Of course, it is about something entirely different than that premise. It is the story of two succesful, career minded people from a big city in the US who find a different way of life in a quiet coastal town in Scotland. It is a well-known type of narrative, though what I liked about this film was how it didn’t try to paint an overly romanticised picture and wasn't patronising with its message. The images speak for themselves, and the quirky, slightly odd atmosphere was generally just pleasant to be in for the film's runtime.