True North (2006)

78% of critics liked it
(9 reviews)
72% of users liked it
(502 ratings)

Writer/director Steve Hudson patterned his debut feature, True North, after classic Greek tragedy. This bleak and despairing drama concerns the Skipper (Gary Lewis) and Sean (Martin Compston), a father and son from the U.K. who co-pilot a small fishing boat called Providence. Though the Skipper… More Writer/director Steve Hudson patterned his debut feature, True North, after classic Greek tragedy. This bleak and despairing drama concerns the Skipper (Gary Lewis) and Sean (Martin Compston), a father and son from the U.K. who co-pilot a small fishing boat called Providence. Though the Skipper remains aboard, Sean inherits all financial responsibility from his dad. But times are hard and the catch so inadequate that it cannot sustain the men. Terrified of being regarded as a failure by his father, Sean devises a dangerous scheme: he and deckhand Riley (Peter Mullan) will illegally pull Chinese immigrants from the far side of the North Sea while the Skipper sleeps, collect money from the stowaways, hide them in the ship's hold, and deposit them in northern England. All goes according to plan until Sean realizes that they must locate some actual fish to mislead the British authorities. Meanwhile, the Chinese passengers begin to waste away below deck, while a storm and other unforeseen catastrophes threaten the lives and safety of everyone aboard. The picture subsequently builds to a devastating conclusion. Steven Robertson and Angel Li co-star. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 36 min.
Directed By: Steve Hudson
Written By: Steve Hudson
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: Sep 11, 2006 Wide

Critic Reviews

Eddie Cockrell, Variety
Morally resonant [and] deeply-felt.
Robert W. Butler, Kansas City Star
A sobering and sad story of the terrible cost of a lack of moral fiber. Not a happy yarn, but it's been well-acted, and afterward you'll feel as if you've been at sea for a week.
Philip French, Observer [UK]
The film has its moments, but it's a crude, none-too-convincing piece of work that fudges some serious issues.
Matthew Turner, ViewLondon
Watchable, low budget British drama with strong performances from Compston and Mullan.
Sukhdev Sandhu, Daily Telegraph
The daily struggles of life at sea, as well as the almost manic revelries indulged in to forget about it, are evoked with dark wit.
Xan Brooks, Guardian [UK]
If only the characters were a little less stock and the script more waterproofed. Halfway through our journey, the cliches start seeping in.
Jon Fortgang, Film4
A powerful and thought-provoking film that succeeds equally as sad human drama and compelling thriller.
Stella Papamichael, BBC
In many ways it's a disturbing story and Hudson offers few gestures of absolution, but those tiny chinks of light are all the more powerful because of it.
Alan Morrison, Empire Magazine
A tense thriller with an important social message.

Read all 9 critic reviews

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Cast

Peter Mullan
as Riley
Gary Lewis
as Skipper
Martin Compston
as Sean

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