About Seine

Short films are wonderful conveyors of mood. Seine, the latest film to be written and directed by Dan Horrigan, is a strong study of melancholy, or (to be more precise) melancholy punctuated by emotional punches. Described by him as “a mourning film made to remember a person, place, and time in my life that has passed”, it tells the story of a man who loses everything, but finds temporary companionship on the cold streets of the metropolis. Opening with a beautifully semi-monochrome, and touching, image of a recumbent bearded man holding a bunch of flowers, the first words — “I ended up homeless” — perfectly capture the mood, matter-of-fact, but full of feeling. After moving from Scotland to London, the former taxi driver, whose drink problem has resulted in him sleeping rough, finds fleeting friendship with a chance acquaintance whose previous address provides the piece’s title and whose loss pervades the sensibility of the film. It’s a powerful account of addiction and losing your bearings, with a perfect note of redemption at the end. It also features a lovely game of chess and some attractive yet profound writing. What I love most about this truthful story is its darkly brooding aesthetic, a kind of visual monochromatic fullness in which humans swim like fish in the depths of their own emotions. With its characteristic attitude of “They were alive — that’s all that matters”, this is an excellent mixture of melancholy and serenity, beautifully acted by Tim Klotz Davenport and Lee Bane, and filmed for Covert Firmament by Fraser Watson with music by Dom Bouffard. It’s a dream.

© Aleks Sierz

• Seine trailer.

addiction alcoholism Covert Firmament Dan Horrigan Dom Bouffard drinking emotional truth film Fraser Watson homeless Lee Bane London loss melancholy monochrome redemption Seine serenity Tim Klotz Davenport

1 Comment

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  Ellen K Bathurst commented

  on Thursday 21st March 2024 at 8:25 pm

  Congratulations!