The title doesn't refer to a petrol station, though that’s where Scott Graham’s brisk, bracing debut feature is set: a particularly dingy one in the remotest Scottish Highlands, where 17 year-old Shell (hugely promising newcomer Chloe Pirrie), long ago abandoned by her mum, ekes out a hermetic existence with her aloof, epileptic pa. Yes, things could hardly be grimmer up north, but this moving character study dodges standard-issue Brit miserablism with a sly sense of humour and some breathtaking visual poetry: cinematographer Yoliswa Gärtig joins the list of names to watch, finding an alien beauty in this craggy corner of nowhere.
Shell Review
Shell (Pirrie) is a teenager stuck in a seemingly grim subsistence with her introverted dad (Joseph Mawle) in a remote, windswept Scottish garage. But her struggles against the limited choices offered by this life leave her vulnerable to the hand of fate.
Release Date:
15 Mar 2013
Running Time:
91 minutes
Certificate:
15
Original Title:
Shell
Scott Graham's haunting, minimalist debut grips from the outset with startling photography and an attention-grabbing turn from newbie actress Chloe Pirrie.
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