Reflective Encounters

“This heart-felt tale of gay love and Cornish rugby boasts great performances from its two leads (Chris Jenkins and Rick Yale). Jenkins’ portrayal of Enys is impressively restrained, perfectly capturing the conflicting feelings boiling beneath the surface. This restraint is broken during the harsh physicality of the rugby scrum, which lends a real heft to the short’s final scenes, a play-off against rival team St Just. The film’s conclusion ties together its emotional threads with satisfying intensity, cleverly comparing the aggression of sport to the closeness of intimacy.

Cornwall’s coastlines are beautifully shot, particularly in an emotional scene on the beach, where the characters swim in bright and dazzling waters. It’s refreshing to see the landscapes of the Southwest shown with such a luminous and dream-like approach, reminding us of the cinematic potential of such environments whilst placing the film in the tradition of similar ‘coastline-coming-of-age’ tales, like the works of Eric Rohmer. 

The decision to film in the Cornish language brings an immersive authenticity to the short, as does the earthy photography of the protagonist’s farmland home. Mab Hudel is a promising addition to the independent productions emerging from Cornwall, spearheaded by the trailblazing work of Mark Jenkin (Mab Hudel features his collaborators Edward Rowe, as writer-director and actor Mary Woodvine, star of the upcoming Enys Men).”

— Chris Childs