Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/994982
10 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 17 JUNE 2018 FILM LOCAL films are rare, and good ones of that bunch are rarer still. So it was with a heartening enthusiasm that I savoured Winston Azzopar- di's debut film during a pri- vate screening held at Embas- sy Cinemas earlier this week – mostly in honour of its crew and the "one cast member" to populate this minimalist hor- ror-thriller: Winston's son, Joe. Building on an earlier short by the same father-son team (titled Head and completed in 2016), The Boat sits some- where between the dialogue- free, Robert Redford-starring All is Lost (2013; directed by JC Chandor) and the pulpy thrills of seabound stalwarts like Jaws; making the best of what was likely to be a small budget and creating a decent genre flick out of the mix. An unnamed fisherman (Joe Azzopardi) steps into his modest fishing boat for what seems to be a routine expe- dition on a gorgeous sunny day – the kind we're all ac- customed to here, after all. Eventually stumbling upon an abandoned vessel going by Aeolus, curiosity compels him to step inside the craft and examine just what's up – attempting all the while to contact the relevant authori- ties. His missives go unan- swered, however. But just as he's about ready to leave well enough alone, the boat gets other ideas. Indeed, what ap- pears to be a vessel driven on autopilot in fact turns out to have a mind of its own. One that may not have our poor fisherman's best inten- tions at heart. In a lot of ways, The Boat is just the kind of local produc- tion I've waited years to see. Hedging its bets – and budget – with a taut and clear-cut script that puts the onus on the immediate action over any complicated sub-plots or production demands, it's an excellent exercise for a first- time filmmaker to test the waters, if you'll pardon that atrocious pun. (Also, Azzopardi was Mal- ta's first-ever Film Commis- sioner, and he's helped in the servicing of some of the major Hollywood productions that have visited our islands over the past few years; even se- curing himself a co-producer credit on Troy. So it would also be safe to say that he must have learned a few tricks along the way). Its 'shortcuts' are also its key challenges, however. Being more of a theatre than a film veteran, Joe Azzopardi's stag- ey acting sometimes grates, and thankfully there's not all that much dialogue for him to work through here. However, he also proves adept at the emotional range required for this ride – which would have been a chore in lesser hands. And as with the aforemen- tioned All is Lost, having no dialogue and being set on the one sea-bound location will certainly test the patience of some. Luckily, the film – co- written by the same father- son team – is also clearly slot- ted into a three-act structure, making sure that the cre- scendo of tension and horror is calibrated just enough to ensure we're never left feeling completely adrift. A classic 'man vs nature' tale that fully exploits Malta's easy access to the Mediterranean sea and stunning fortifica- tions, this is the kind of film we need to see more of – un- pretentious, effective, and not too preoccupied with show- ing off some idea of 'Maltese- ness'. Having already been ac- quired in several territories, The Boat's future certainly augurs well – though how it will navigate those choppy waters certainly remains to be seen. For now, however, the Azz- opardis have provided an ex- cellent template for future feature-length productions in Malta. Here's hoping more filmmakers heed the call. THE BOAT THE MOAT THE COAT THE FLOAT THE GOAT T H E B O AT ( T B C ) Teodor Reljic ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Solitary sailor Joe Azzopardi is the beleaguered lead in this local horror-thriller directed by his father Screened for crew and press earlier this week, Winston Azzopardi's debut feature is an entertaining horror-thriller that makes the best of its limitations Sailing to oblivion