This shoestring British thriller, shot in widescreen for less than £5,000, begins with several striking images of the bleak Kent coast near Margate. A dishevelled young woman in black leather jacket and jeans emerges from the sea. Walking along the beach, she finds a man lapped by the soft waves. She attempts to revive him. He tries to strangle her. She hits him with a bottle and runs away. We're intrigued. This is confident visual storytelling, and we're eager to know who they are, what is going to happen next. One is reminded of the famous scene in Fitzgerald's The Last Tycoon when Monroe Stahr instructs British novelist George Boxley (ie Aldous Huxley) in the art of movie narrative. Unfortunately, Jetsam remains something washed up on the beach, a confused, commonplace industrial espionage story. But there is real promise here.
Jetsam | Film review
Philip French
Jetsam remains washed up on the beach, a confused, commonplace industrial espionage story, says Philip French
Contributor
Philip French
Philip French
The GuardianTramp
