A dazzling array of understated performances, along with effects & photography that puts higher-budgeted contemporaries to shame. Nick Gillespie's short film tells the story of Katy, a young girl left behind during an evacuation following a nuclear attack. The film gives from the start an air of despair, with its stark newspaper headlines floating in the murky sea, signifying that the end has come, and nothing can be done except come to terms with it.
Katy goes on to meet the cockle pickers of the area, who, despite horrific scarring physically & mentally, strive to continue their menial task of picking cockles, though ultimately are unlikely to give them to anyone considering the fallout.
For anyone who enjoys watching this, I feel it is an excellent complement to the 1980s BBC drama "Threads". While it perfectly shows the logical progression of a society under threat & ultimately attack, "Cockle Pickers" shows the introversion of the individual, and their struggle to make sense of a world that is alien to them.
My only gripe is the film does run short and leaves some questions unanswered. A particular story arc concerning Katy's nightmares involving gas mask wearing soldiers could have been explored further. But given the budget, it is truly a credit to the cast & crew to make so much with so little.
Katy goes on to meet the cockle pickers of the area, who, despite horrific scarring physically & mentally, strive to continue their menial task of picking cockles, though ultimately are unlikely to give them to anyone considering the fallout.
For anyone who enjoys watching this, I feel it is an excellent complement to the 1980s BBC drama "Threads". While it perfectly shows the logical progression of a society under threat & ultimately attack, "Cockle Pickers" shows the introversion of the individual, and their struggle to make sense of a world that is alien to them.
My only gripe is the film does run short and leaves some questions unanswered. A particular story arc concerning Katy's nightmares involving gas mask wearing soldiers could have been explored further. But given the budget, it is truly a credit to the cast & crew to make so much with so little.