ReaderKenka Let's be realistic.

Dorathen Better Late Then Never

Mischa Redfern I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

dusan-22 When I saw Gary Lewis playing in the movie I was almost certain that this film is promising a lot. However, I was wrong. Lets start with good things: Excellent acting and camera directing which proves that movie was an art work (not so) long time ago. Everything is so convincing, almost like real. However, film misses a real plot. Simple plot is an idea of a real grandmaster, but it needs developments of characters and/or interaction with another plots. The movie is way too slow for its genre and way too profiled for an art film. Attempt to make a good movie has been lost somewhere on the horizon of the promising film-making. My opinion is that this is a real pity, since most of the people in this film project seems to know their job pretty well.

jaffacake2k If you enjoy a great character driven yarn then this film is a must see. If you yearn for Hollywood style action then just switch on your Sky box - everything you need will be there.Its hard to pigeon-hole this film in any specific genre. I imagine it will come under 'drama' or possibly 'thriller'. But quite simply its much more than either.The screenplay/script/acting/direction are all of the highest standard. If I was being honest I would have happily watched 2 hours of the main characters just chatting as the dialogue is exquisite at times. Its REAL banter. The humour is generated in the actors delivery of the line rather than the line itself.The premise of the film is very simple. An under-performing fishing trawler needs a rapid injection of cash. So the crew, unbeknown to the captain, take on board a couple of dozen illegal immigrants and attempt to smuggle them into Scotland for a large sum of said cash.This film is very insightful and ultimately very moving. When I sat down to watch this I didn't even have an outline of what the film was about so I was unprepared for what I was to experience. And I feel 'experience' is the right word. You are there cooped up in the cramped living conditions and poor weather. As the story chugs along you are there with it. It never leaves you behind or allows you to race ahead of it.Watch this film.10/10

Claudio Carvalho The skipper (Gary Lewis) of the Scottish trawler PD-100 has worked for more than thirty-two years to buy his fishing vessel but is bankrupt and near to lose his ship to the bank. While in the port of Ostend, Belgium, his first mate and son Sean (Martin Compston) accepts a lot of money to smuggle Chinese illegal immigrants to Scotland to keep the trawler with his father. The crewman Riley (Peter Mullan) helps him in the scheme, and they hide the group in a store below the boatswain store. However, a Chinese teenager hides in the engine room, stealing food and leaving money in the galley. The cook (Steven Robertson), who is a little slow and has issues with sex, finds the stowaway (Angel Li) and helps her. Sean decides to stay longer in the North Sea to get catch and avoid problems with customs, leaving the immigrants in the most subhuman conditions. When one of the Chinese dies, despair is triggered leading the crew to tragic actions."True North" is a simple, but very cruel and heartbreaking story of despair and how far a human being can go under the pressure of a desperate situation. None of the characters is evil, but their attitudes under unexpected situation are scary. Sean has no concern with the immigrants, but in finding a way to avoid problems with the coastal authorities; the cold Riley has a touch of humanity with the terrible situation of the stowaways; the cook surprisingly protects the girl; and the captain has the most despicable procedure when he feels that he may lose his ship. The direction and the performances are awesome, and the screenplay is excellent. My vote is eight.Title (Brazil): "Verdadeiro Norte" ("True North")

Jamester For a movie that had a very simple storyline to it (Chinese immigrants go on a ship seeking a better life in northern Europe), I was amazed at a couple things when I saw this very engaging movie at the Toronto International Film Festival with the dynamic and fun director present:1) First, this story feels so very true. No sugar coating. No over-dramaticism. Nor clunky lines. It's a story with what are real characters just being themselves, in a fairly enduring and harsh environment.2) Then, while I was wondering why the movie was called True North, when I thought I had it figured out, the story's message struck even deeper. True North is the unwavering north. Not another form of north that shifts as the tides do. And making moral decisions -- if there is such a thing as a moral righteousness, was a topic, perhaps as I think of what's important to me, and what I would sacrifice in the name of money, my livelihood, or my own wants -- was a topic that just worked for me.3) And because the movie just came out and told a story -- I just felt -- WOW! What an awesome piece of work. And when the director talked about his passion for shooting on a ship when it needed to be on a ship, and how very real the scenes were because of that, I was even more impressed. The shots were vivacious, interesting, and captured the feeling of being on a ship. How a propos!So -- for an engaging movie, and a director's 5 years of sweat and tears using real life to inspire this story-telling, I think you will be so very engaged with this movie. Check it out!