Here is a solid first feature debut from director Harry Sherriff, an atmospheric crime drama set in a gloomy, decaying seaside town, with an eerie depiction of grief experienced by those who exist within the margins of the life of a murdered girl.
The film follows Leonard (Samuel Blenkin), a meek hotel concierge who has a boyish crush on his charming 25-year-old colleague Elle (Emily Carey). Dressed in a red raincoat with short dark hair and a wry smile, Elle’s character is very much reminiscent of Jordana Bevan in Richard Ayoade’s 2010 film Submarine, as is the dry sardonic humour peppered into the script. Leonard and Elle’s exchanges are awkward yet sweet, teetering on the edge of a true connection. That is, until Elle doesn’t show up to work one day and reports of a missing person trickle through the town. The hotel staff are rattled by Elle’s disappearance and when news breaks that her body has been found, this chilling bereavement subtly upends their lives.
