Saw this tonight , featured as a sneakprewiev at Gothenburg Filmfestival. It blew me away from the beginning with its low-key tone and exceptional acting. The beautiful and dramatic landscape of Scotland makes a perfect setting for this unique and highly moving love story. Bouli Lanners, director, writer and actor is such a great talent and his counterpart Michelle Fairley is also amazing. Blessed to find this gem.
13 Reviews
Decent grown-up love story
stevelivesey674 August 2022
Excellent acting, slow burn storytelling, cinematography could have been better.
One for grown ups and not for those with ADHD or young of mind.
Nice to see the Isle of Lewis featured in the film but I think there are better sets that could have been filmed at.
One for grown ups and not for those with ADHD or young of mind.
Nice to see the Isle of Lewis featured in the film but I think there are better sets that could have been filmed at.
The three awards the film has won to date encapsulates it strengths
JuguAbraham24 August 2022
This film has won three awards to date--all deserving and correctly encapsulating the strengths of the film. Two awards were Silver Hugos for the Best Actor (Bouli Lanners) and the Best Actress (Michelle Fairley) at the Chicago film festival. (The two actors are two of three co-directors as well.) The third award was for the film's cinematography for Frank van den Eeden at the Oostende Film Festival. I am not sure, however, if a person who suffers a stroke losing his memory can recall his past so well with time as depicted in the film. May be they can. I am not a doctor.
Michelle Fairley is thriving as always
lorecallewaert14 March 2022
Warning: Spoilers
I went to see this movie at the Ostend film festival in Belgium because I'm a huge fan of Michelle Fairley.
And boy, she didn't disappoint. The movie was heartbreakingly beautiful. Scotland provides the movie of an incredible background and it makes you want to give up life and go live on this remote island.
Bouli Lanners did an amazing job as the introvert Belgian Phil. I admit that I didn't know him, but his acting skills blew me away.
But the real queen of the movie has to be Michelle Fairley. I'm always amazed how she portrays emotion. She nails every detail, the way her voice quivers, the sadness in her eyes, the way she moves her hands...
The movie actually left me sad, but in a good way. It's so refreshing to see real people, already in their fifties, who secretly love each other but don't act upon it. Until Millie (Fairley) decides to take matters in her own hands. Some will think she takes advantage, but it's nothing like that. She only acted on her feelings when she found out Phil took pictures of her. She aches for his love and he as well. And when they are together, even when it's their hands touching lightly at the beach, you can feel the love and it's heartwarming.
So I definitely recommend watching this movie, I want to see it already again. If you want to see a movie about real people and real feelings, you should go watch this one.
And boy, she didn't disappoint. The movie was heartbreakingly beautiful. Scotland provides the movie of an incredible background and it makes you want to give up life and go live on this remote island.
Bouli Lanners did an amazing job as the introvert Belgian Phil. I admit that I didn't know him, but his acting skills blew me away.
But the real queen of the movie has to be Michelle Fairley. I'm always amazed how she portrays emotion. She nails every detail, the way her voice quivers, the sadness in her eyes, the way she moves her hands...
The movie actually left me sad, but in a good way. It's so refreshing to see real people, already in their fifties, who secretly love each other but don't act upon it. Until Millie (Fairley) decides to take matters in her own hands. Some will think she takes advantage, but it's nothing like that. She only acted on her feelings when she found out Phil took pictures of her. She aches for his love and he as well. And when they are together, even when it's their hands touching lightly at the beach, you can feel the love and it's heartwarming.
So I definitely recommend watching this movie, I want to see it already again. If you want to see a movie about real people and real feelings, you should go watch this one.
Nobody Has to Know
CinemaSerf8 November 2023
Near the start of this film, we hear a weather forecast on the car radio advising sunny spells are imminent. Well they didn't come, nor are there really any other sunny moments in this story. Set on the rather dark, bleak and wintry Isle of Lewis, we meet "Phil" (auteur Bouli Landers) who works as a general factotum with "Brian" (Andrew Still) who is the grandson of the smallholding owner "Angus" (Julian Glover). The two workers bond well enough during their largely outdoor, and muddy, endeavours and also over a pint afterwards where the former man discovers that the young man's aunt "Millie" (Michelle Fairley) is looked upon rather disdainfully by others in their small community. It's only when "Phil" suffers a stroke on the beach, that this lady comes forward to help his recuperation, and in the process tells quite a big "white" lie that sets the scene for the rest of this drama. It's a very slow burn with, frankly, a very thin plot but the acting is quite genuine and the island environment and tightly knit family scenario does add a bit of richness to the increasingly predicable outcome. I've seen Fairley on stage a few times and she is a good actress at delivering the less is more style, but here there are just too many lingering shots, driving to and fro, having a cigarette meaningfully - without really developing the characters enough, nor really explaining while the originally Belgian visitor is there in the first place. It's nicely shot, but just rather unremarkable.
A Pleasant Romance.
Jaffaroll18 July 2022
Saw this at a film society in Oz. This is in an expertly done romance set in a severe but beautiful coastal landscape of a northern Scotland isle. The male and female leads, Bouli Lanners and Michelle Fairley both are listed as directors and Bouli also for screenplay. Dialogue is as sparse as the trees on the hills, but pleasantly sufficient. The characters and views reminded me a little of Babettes 'feasters', the stark cold scenery and dour people of a hard, high number, latitude.
Phil from Belgium is living and working on the island. After he suffers a minor stroke that causes amnesia, Millie falsely tells him he was previously in a relationship with her. As the story unfolds you feel the frustration of constricted feelings and too the warmth of their torturous release. A nice film, it makes me realize why I go to 'art movies'.
Phil from Belgium is living and working on the island. After he suffers a minor stroke that causes amnesia, Millie falsely tells him he was previously in a relationship with her. As the story unfolds you feel the frustration of constricted feelings and too the warmth of their torturous release. A nice film, it makes me realize why I go to 'art movies'.
No Story!
lloicale10 April 2022
Probably the worst film I've seen, in terms of the story. Kept waiting for a surprise, to no avail. Cinematography was all right, but not as good as to justify the catastrophic "non issue". Why waste everybody's time and money? Surely there are worthy projects to fund.
A beautiful love story
ecalloway-7800630 July 2022
This film is so exquisitely shot, the backdrop of Scotland works its magic but also the interior sets look like paintings. The gentle unfolding story moves at a perfect pace with minimal dialogue. I loved it and would definitely recommend you to watch.
It was okay
nataliaznamiec10 August 2022
Beautiful and moving!
sherry-coman6 July 2022
This was my favourite film of 2021 and I have been waiting for it to be released in North America. I saw it at the Toronto international film Festival and was so deeply moved by all of the characters and the situation. The film was shot entirely in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland and that sense of isolation, mixed with the longing for community and belonging to someone, permeates this story of a man whose temporary amnesia allows an opportunity for a love to be fulfilled that was always lying dormant. Bouli Lanners (starring and directing) and Michelle Fairley bring a gentle quiet depth to these performances that won them the Best Actor and Best Actress of the Chicago International Film Festival. This is a film about forgetting what you knew, in order to discover what you've always known deep down. Enjoy!
So boring I walked out before the end
yolandamcc8 November 2023
I've walked out of the movies twice in my life. Once twenty years ago, and once today at Nobody Has To Know.
The trailer was good, and the plot intriguing, so as it's a rainy day, off I went to see it. After more than one hour of watching this, I still didn't know any more than I already learned from the trailer. Man has stroke, loses memory, woman lies that she is his secret girlfriend. Ok yes got it, sounds cool, now what next? Not much, apparently.
I found the dialogue wooden and cliched: often I could predict what the characters were about to say or do. The acting is excellent. The setting is ok. You can convince yourself that the setting is beautiful because of the music and cinematography, but really it's just an average shoreline in mediocre weather that starts to seem interesting after a while because the plot is so incredibly dull that even watching a wave move up and down seems exciting in comparison.
In future I will avoid movies where the male lead is also the writer and director, especially if the entire plot is that a woman who is much better looking than the male lead inexplicably insists on being in a relationship with him.
The trailer was good, and the plot intriguing, so as it's a rainy day, off I went to see it. After more than one hour of watching this, I still didn't know any more than I already learned from the trailer. Man has stroke, loses memory, woman lies that she is his secret girlfriend. Ok yes got it, sounds cool, now what next? Not much, apparently.
I found the dialogue wooden and cliched: often I could predict what the characters were about to say or do. The acting is excellent. The setting is ok. You can convince yourself that the setting is beautiful because of the music and cinematography, but really it's just an average shoreline in mediocre weather that starts to seem interesting after a while because the plot is so incredibly dull that even watching a wave move up and down seems exciting in comparison.
In future I will avoid movies where the male lead is also the writer and director, especially if the entire plot is that a woman who is much better looking than the male lead inexplicably insists on being in a relationship with him.
Top ten
torbjornlattman15 February 2024
One of my new favourits! Every picture and every piece of dialogue adds to either deeper understanding or drives the story forward. Wonderful actors, good script, beautiful photography and editing makes this one of my favourite movies of all time. In our local filmstudio 460 spectators gave the film an average 4.3 point out of 5.
I'm looking forward for more films from this excellent director.
The following is just to reach the number of required characters. The required 600 is to much!
I can write my meaning in far less than that.but here it is: 46 to go. Xxxxxxxxc niw it's just 10 left so thankyou for the fish.
I'm looking forward for more films from this excellent director.
The following is just to reach the number of required characters. The required 600 is to much!
I can write my meaning in far less than that.but here it is: 46 to go. Xxxxxxxxc niw it's just 10 left so thankyou for the fish.
It Wasn't Bad, But Could've Been More Upbeat
vengeance205 November 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Went to see this one as I was bored & there was nothing else showing at my local, so out of curiosity, I went to see this one.
Phil, a robust middle-aged man suffers a stroke, causing him to lose his memory. Millie, who takes care of him, tells him falsely that they were secretly in love before his accident.
I found the film to be not bad, once it got going that is, & when it did, it wasn't bad & had an interesting story-line. But my issues with the film are the mundane & dreary way it was telling the story & the lack of narrative at some scenes which just happened & you had to guess what was going on. Not that it was hard as you had a pretty good idea what was going on for the most part, but a bit of clarification would've been nice.
The films characters are ok, but again like the visuals & story-telling, are flat & dull & lack some form of personality. The film could've been more upbeat as with the characters & could've used some upbeat music or maybe some montages here & there. The films runtime is not bad at 1hr & 33mins (93 minutes), & didn't have bad pacing to be fair. There's not a lot of action or drama, so be prepared for that when you see this film.
Overall, it's not bad considering the premise sounds somewhat off colour & something that would not have gone down well had the roles been reversed. But despite the dullness of the films story telling, set pieces & characters, it was generally not a bad film with a bitter sweet ending.
6/10.
Phil, a robust middle-aged man suffers a stroke, causing him to lose his memory. Millie, who takes care of him, tells him falsely that they were secretly in love before his accident.
I found the film to be not bad, once it got going that is, & when it did, it wasn't bad & had an interesting story-line. But my issues with the film are the mundane & dreary way it was telling the story & the lack of narrative at some scenes which just happened & you had to guess what was going on. Not that it was hard as you had a pretty good idea what was going on for the most part, but a bit of clarification would've been nice.
The films characters are ok, but again like the visuals & story-telling, are flat & dull & lack some form of personality. The film could've been more upbeat as with the characters & could've used some upbeat music or maybe some montages here & there. The films runtime is not bad at 1hr & 33mins (93 minutes), & didn't have bad pacing to be fair. There's not a lot of action or drama, so be prepared for that when you see this film.
Overall, it's not bad considering the premise sounds somewhat off colour & something that would not have gone down well had the roles been reversed. But despite the dullness of the films story telling, set pieces & characters, it was generally not a bad film with a bitter sweet ending.
6/10.
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