Take Two: Two Years at Sea / Bogancloch

Two Years at Sea
Ben Rivers, 2011, 88 min

Followed by Q&A with the filmmaker moderated by Morgan Quaintance (01/08 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.

Bogancloch
Ben Rivers, 2024, 86 min

Followed by Q&A with the filmmaker moderated by Gareth Evans (22/08 only)

Bogancloch is where modern-day hermit Jake Williams lives, nestled in one of Scotland’s vast highland forests. A follow-up to Rivers’ previous portrait of Jake, Two Years at Sea, his latest, utterly mesmerising work also stands on its own – a dreamlike meditation on nature, solitude, the power of music and one individual’s singular approach to life.