'Rose of Nevada' Review
- Tiffany McLaughlin
- 50 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Release Date: 06/19/26 [Cinemas]
Genre: Drama. Fantasy. Horror. Mystery. SciFi.
MPAA: Not Rated.
Distributor: 1-2 Special.
The Verdict: A Maybe
Director Mark Jenkin brings us along on his time-travelling nautical nightmare set in a small fishing village on heavy decline. A lone boat that was presumed gone forever returns to the docks one day, thirty years after its crew did not survive. A handful of local men decide to embark on a journey in search of a good catch to bring home, including Nick, played by George MacKay, and Liam, played by Callum Turner. When they return to the town, it's not like they remembered. It's thirty years in the past, and they are being mistaken for the crew members that went missing all those years ago.
Shot on a 16mm Bolex camera, the film's grainy look and rapid cutting never let you settle into a moment, instead forcing you to constantly piece everything together, effectively capturing Nick's fractured memories. If this film excels at one thing, it's making you feel like you're on that ship too—I was nauseated the entire time. Every frame is gorgeous and textured, but the relentless cutting makes the film feel a little too scattered, with the pacing suffering most in the middle.
I barely noticed when they time-traveled because the clothing felt so modern. I can still picture an older woman in the pub wearing a brightly floral top straight out of 2012. It wasn't until MacKay's character picked up a newspaper reading "1992" that I realized what was happening. The grainy image already gives the film a dated quality, so the reveal of the time travel felt muddled instead of impactful.
Although I dug how weird this was, this lands firmly in half-spill territory for me. One thing about George MacKay is that he is going to have my attention. But even through a brilliantly disturbed performance, I was left unmoved altogether. There will no doubt be tons of folks who will be into this, but it's just not for me.
