Cornish filmmaker Mark Jenkin, known for his handcrafted, analog style, premiered his latest feature Rose of Nevada in the Orizzonti competition at the Venice Film Festival, and early reactions position it as one of his most ambitious and haunting works yet.
A Story Rooted in Cornwall, Drenched in Mystery
Set in a forgotten Cornish fishing village, the film begins when The Rose of Nevada — a boat lost at sea with all hands 30 years ago — mysteriously reappears in the harbor. Nick (George MacKay), seeking to provide for his young family, joins the boat’s crew alongside Liam (Callum Turner), a newcomer escaping his troubled past. After a successful fishing trip, they return only to find they’ve slipped back in time, greeted by villagers as though they were the vessel’s original crew.
With its time-bending premise and chilling atmosphere, critics have likened its creeping horror to Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining.
Analog Aesthetics & The Bolex Process
True to Jenkin’s ethos, the film was shot on 16mm using a Bolex camera, which captures no sync sound and restricts takes to just 27 seconds. This forced an intensely rigorous process for cast and crew:
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Every line, sound, and movement was recreated in ADR, much of it performed by Jenkin himself.
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Actors had to nail performances in one or two takes, creating what MacKay calls “positive boundaries” that heightened precision.
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The challenges of shooting on open water, in low light, and with real fishing boats added to the visceral authenticity.
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“Every take was 27 seconds, and then he’d wind it up,” Turner recalled. “Mark is really an artist. He presents himself as not, but he is.”
Performances & Inspirations
MacKay and Turner threw themselves into the physical demands of open-water fishing, working alongside real fishermen like Lee Carter, whose toughness inspired their characters. Turner described the experience as “as real as possible,” recalling the discomfort of ice-cold seawater soaking through their clothes during shoots.
The production drew loose inspiration from Robert Bresson’s L’Argent and Wolfgang Petersen’s The Perfect Storm, though Jenkin’s unique methods remained the defining influence.
An Ambiguous Ending
Like much of Jenkin’s work, Rose of Nevada resists definitive closure. Its ambiguous ending invites audiences to interpret the meaning themselves. “That’s the genius of Mark,” Turner said. “He doesn’t like endings. He wants you to have your own spiritual journey.”
Festival Journey
The film also features Francis Magee, Edward Rowe, Rosalind Eleazar, Mary Woodvine, and Adrian Rawlins, with Denzil Monk producing and Protagonist Pictures handling international sales. Following Venice, Rose of Nevada will screen at the New York and London Film Festivals, continuing its trajectory as one of the year’s most anticipated arthouse offerings.
