Banging his blind boss’ wife, Danish ‘drifter with a secret’ Mike (Anders W Berthelsen) is making the most of Black’s Estate – a decrepit, miserable place in remote Scotland. Alas, Mike and mistress Rachel (Jodhi May) attract the attention of hubby Francis (Peter Mullan) and, before long, his primal rage makes a lasting acquaintance with a murky, bottomless bog – thanks to a nudge from his not-so-great Dane.
With local quack and pouting middle-ager Caroline Lamar (Samantha “Miss Moneypenny” Bond) suspecting Mike, tension should reach boiling point. Yet helmer Eleanor Yule’s steady-softly-slowly-dully approach ensures anxiety is kept at arm’s length. Blinded plods so joylessly that even mercy killings and the odd indecent frolic can’t quicken the pulse. Attractively shot in all the gloomy glory of the Highlands, Yule’s debut is far from a disaster, it’s just a bit drowsy.
