Two Years at Sea
Ben Rivers, 2011, 88 min

Introduced by Ben Rivers (24/03 screening only)

Ben Rivers’ feature-length documentary debut follows Jake Williams, who lives a life of solitude in the forest of the Scottish Cairngorms after two years working as a merchant at sea. Sleeping, walking, climbing, showering and floating with a feeling of liberation rather than routine, Jake’s daily activities merge together with the changing seasons, finding continuity through an environment which feels completely vacant save for its lone hermit. Shot on black and white 16mm film hand-processed by Rivers himself, the film’s depiction of Jake’s relaxed lifestyle is invigorated by pulsating grain and shifting exposure, marking the image with the pull of the natural world in all its unpredictability.