Seachd: The Inaccessible Pinnacle

I went along to an advance screening of this film last wednesday, and stayed behind for the Q&A with the Director Simon Miller and the lead actor Aonghas Padraig Caimbeul.

It is the first major feature film production in Scottish Gaelic. I went in to the theatre in all honesty with very low expectations, as with all Gaelic productions, the production values were minimal and the pool of actors to choose from is even more so!

But leaving the cinema that night i was shocked. Seachd is a stunning, moving film, which tells not a only a great story, but tells you the story in such a way that you believe it.

The film is set in modern day Skye, and tells the story of a grandfather and his grandson and how their relationship is affected by the death of the grandsons parents. It is described as being similar to The Princess Bride, but i felt it was much closer to Tim Burton's film Big Fish, which stars Ewen MacGregor. It also visualises the Grandfathers stories, showing us characters from centuries ago, giving a very fantastical feel to it. The segment with the spaniard and the gael who are shipwrecked is especially funny.

Another thing i liked about this film was the way in which the actors abilities developed, especially the lead actor, A.P. Campbell, who played the grandfather. Like a lot of the cast, A.P Campbell is not an actor, and this can be seen in some points at the start of the film, but as the films develops so does his performance, so much so that towards the end you forgive and forget his earlier scenes.

The controversy which is surrounding this film has been widely publicised in the Scottish Papers, and has even gone to Scottish Parliament, as BAFTA have neglected to put this film forward for the Best Foreign Film shortlist for the Oscars. Deciding instead that no film this year was worthy of the nod. I am personally disgusted by this decision.

Go watch the film, it is being shown on general release at all (i think) Cineworld Cinemas in Scotland, and also in select others.

MYSPACE PAGE: http://www.myspace.com/seachd

Reviews can be found in most of the major broadsheets in Scotland, and also articles about the BAFTA controversy.